Ecuador presidential candidate killed: Fernando Villavicencio is shot dead as he leaves a political rally less than two weeks before the vote
- Fernando Villavicencio, 59, was shot in the head on Wednesday night as he got into his car after a campaign rally in Quito
- Villavicencio, a member of Ecuador’s National Assembly before it was dissolved in May, was one of the leading candidates in the August 20 ballot
- Analysts said the right-wing politician was harshest on organized crime plaguing the Latin American nation
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.
Fernando Villavicencio, 59, is seen moments before gunmen ambushed and shot him in the head as he was leaving a meeting
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.