Fernando Villavicencio, a prominent opponent and vocal critic of organized crime and corruption, was assassinated on Wednesday evening while attending a campaign event in the northern part of Quito, according to the authorities.
Even though Ecuador's police and interior ministry were repeatedly contacted for information regarding the specifics of Villavicencio's murder, they did not provide any. Local media stated that Villavicencio had been shot.
A suspect in the crime later passed away from injuries sustained during a shootout, according to the attorney general's office. A candidate for the legislature, two police officers, and nine other persons were also injured in the incident.
People were seen ducking for cover and screaming as gunfire could be heard in videos posted on social media that appeared to be from the campaign event.
"For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished. Organized crime has gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them," President Guillermo Lasso said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lasso's government has attributed the increase in street and prison violence to criminal warfare over the control of drug trafficking routes used by Mexican cartels, the Albanian mafia, and other organizations that transport drugs. At an urgent meeting, he declared that he would invite senior security personnel.
If elected, Villavicencio promised to fight corruption and lessen tax evasion. His support stood at 7.5% in polls, placing him sixth out of eight candidates for president.
In a second incident, the Quito headquarters of Villavicencio's party Movimiento Construye were attacked by armed individuals, the party claimed on channel X. The party said that recent negotiations regarding whether to halt the election process because of political violence, including the murder of Manta's mayor in July, had taken place.
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