Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated as he was leaving a political rally in Quito.
Video circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the former journalist surrounded by guards escorting him to a car. At least a dozen shots are then fired, prompting panic and screams from the crowd.
While the 59-year-old, who was an outspoken critic of corruption and violence in the state due to problems associated with drug trafficking, was not the frontrunner, he was among eight candidates in the race.
The Aug. 20 election will continue as planned, according to Electoral Council President Diana Atamaint.
Incumbent President Guillermo Lasso blamed organized crime and announced a state of emergency for 60 days, mobilized the armed forces across the country, and called for three days of national mourning.
"For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished. Organized crime have gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them," he said.
Villavicencio's party, Movimiento Construye, said in a statement they "have not yet found a way to react to the horror and pain of the assassination of our presidential candidate," according to a translation from Reuters.
"A few days ago, after the assassination of Mayor Intriago, there was a discussion about what to do with the campaign, suspend it some days, or redouble security. Fernando was radical about it and shared on his social media: 'Guarding silence and hiding in moments when criminals assassin citizens and authorities is an act of cowardice.'"
According to Bloomberg, Villavicencio was a critic of the leftist former President Rafael Correa and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2014 for allegedly slandering him. A fugitive for three years, Villavicencio went to Peru until 2017.
His campaign theme revolved around a “Safe Ecuador,” with five pillars: citizen, food, economic, environmental and health.
SHOCKING: Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated hours ago. But just days ago, he said this at a campaign event, "Here I am Mrs. Luisa González. They have told me to wear a bulletproof vest but here I am in a sweaty shirt, let the drug lords come,… pic.twitter.com/DqkkXcutm6
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) August 10, 2023
The leading conservative presidential candidate in Ecuador was just murdered by drug cartel thugs. The drug gangs murdered him b/c they viewed him as more of a threat. I was just in Ecuador giving talks there on Monday. People are afraid to talk about the drug cartels. https://t.co/p1YvfMIqPP
— John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) August 10, 2023
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