Ecuador presidential candidate killed: Fernando Villavicencio is shot dead as he leaves a political rally less than two weeks before the vote

Gunmen in Ecuador shot dead presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio as he left a rally on Wednesday night, with less than two weeks to go before a bitterly contested election.

Footage shared on social media showed Villavicencio, 59, being escorted from the rally venue in a waiting car. He climbed into the backseat and then gunfire rang out. The windows turned out not to be bulletproof.

Last week, Villavicencio, a former journalist, said he and his team had been threatened by the leader of a gang linked to drug trafficking.

Villavicencio, a right-wing former member of Ecuador’s National Assembly before it was dissolved in May, was polling at 7.5 percent.

He was behind at least two other candidates, but gained support in recent days and was seen as the strongest candidate on organized crime.

So said General Manuel Iniguez, deputy commander of the Ecuadorian National Police police officer was also injured in the attack.

The assassins launched a grenade at Villavicencio’s group, but it failed to explode.

President Guillermo Lasso said the murder would not go unpunished.

“For his memory and his struggle, I assure you this crime will not go unpunished,” Lasso tweeted.

“Organized crime has gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them.”

Lasso said he would receive top security officials at an urgent meeting.