Ecuadorian presidential candidate Villavicencio killed in attack

Aug 10, 2023 News

Al Jazeera – Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been killed in an armed attack following a campaign rally in the capital Quito, according to the country’s president Guillermo Lasso and local media reports.

The late Ecuadorean presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador, on August 9, 2023 [Karen Toro/Reuters]

Lasso confirmed the killing of Villavicencio on Wednesday and vowed the crime would not go unpunished.

“Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. My solidarity and condolences to his wife and daughters,” Lasso said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished,” Lasso said. “Organized crime have gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them,” he said.

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

Local media reported that Villavicencio, 59, a former legislator who had been polling at 7.5 percent voting intention, had been shot dead after a campaign event in Quito.

Several others were injured in the armed attack at the Colegio Anderson in the capital, according to local media reports.

A journalist and political activist, Villavicencio was one of eight presidential candidates registered to stand in the elections scheduled for August 20.

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Al Jazeera, assassination, candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, Presidential

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