Ecuadorian presidential candidate shot dead

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, 59, was shot dead after a campaign event in the capital Quito.

Mr Villavicencio, a former congressman and journalist, was shot three times in the head as he was being carried to a car after a campaign rally in Quito on August 9. A grenade was found at the scene but had not been used.

Videos on social media showed people running for cover and screaming as shots rang out. Other videos showed the suspect in a white shirt being subdued by a crowd at the scene.

Ecuadorian presidential candidate shot dead — The moment Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated after a campaign rally in the capital Quito on August 9. Video: *BNO News*

"I assure everyone that whoever committed this crime will be punished. Organized crime is rampant, but the law will punish them," President Guillermo Lasso posted on social network X, the new name for Twitter. "I am shocked by the assassination and send my deepest condolences to his wife and daughters."

Mr. Villavicencio is one of eight candidates for the presidential election on August 20. President Lasso said he would hold an emergency meeting with top security officials.

According to opinion polls, Villavicencio's approval rating is 7.5%, ranking fifth among the candidates.

Villavicencio, from Chimborazo province, was a union member at the state oil company Petroecuador and later a journalist. He had been a whistleblower about millions of dollars in oil contracts. On August 8, he reported an oil company to the Attorney General’s office, but no further details were made public.

Villavicencio, a critic of former President Rafael Correa, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defamation for his comments against the former president. He fled to his native land in Ecuador and was later granted asylum in Peru.

As a congressman, Villavicencio was criticized by opposition politicians for blocking President Lasso's impeachment process this year, leading Lasso to call early elections.

Ecuador is a South American country with a population of 17.5 million. Violence is on the rise here, with drug trafficking and murder on the rise.