Ecuadorian presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, aged 59, was assassinated in Quito after addressing young supporters at a school campaign rally. Villavicencio, a former anti-corruption journalist, had centered his campaign on exposing alleged ties between criminal gangs and government officials. The tragic event saw ten individuals shot, including two police officers and a suspected assailant, who later succumbed to his injuries. Following this incident, six individuals were detained in Quito’s Conocoto and San Bartolo.
This marked a historic moment as it was the first time a presidential candidate had been assassinated in Ecuador. Notably, just last month, the Mayor of Manta met a similar fate, with officials suggesting a link to organized crime.
Despite the upheaval, President Guillermo Lasso confirmed that the scheduled presidential elections on August 20 would proceed. He firmly declared that the perpetrators of this crime would face justice, emphasizing the consequences criminal organizations would bear for overstepping their bounds.
