AFP Villavicencio earlier this week in Quito
NOS News•today, 03:38•Edited today, 04:31
Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio (59) was shot dead at a campaign rally in the capital Quito. The current president Guilllermo Lasso reports this in a statement. There would also have been injuries, it is unknown how many and how they are.
Video footage on social media shows Villavicencio getting into a white car after a speech, after which gunfire can be heard. According to local media, he was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, where he died.
Shortly afterwards, authorities announced that a gunman had also been killed in a shootout that followed the attack. It’s not clear if that’s the only suspect.
Corruption
It is unclear who is behind the attack. Among the presidential candidates for the August 20 election, Villavicencio was known as one of the country’s fiercest anti-corruption fighters. As a member of parliament, trade unionist and activist, he often fought what he saw as corrupt officials under the administration of President Rafael Correa, from 2007 to 2017. He therefore said he had been threatened before: in 2022, his home in Quito was destroyed. taken under fire.
In the polls, Villavicencio was at about 7.5 percent of the vote. The biggest contender is Luisa González, who is supported by former president Correa. She is at more than 25 percent in the polls.
“This crime will not go unpunished,” President Lasso said on social media. “Organized crime has gone too far. They will feel the full force of the law.” Ecuador has experienced a sharp increase in homicides and drug-related violence in recent years.
2023-08-10 01:38:40
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