The suspect in the killing of Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has died from injuries…
Villavicencio was especially critical during the government of former president Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defamation over statements made against the former president.
He fled to Indigenous territory within Ecuador and later was given asylum in Peru.
As a legislator, Villavicencio was criticised by opposition politicians for obstructing an impeachment process this year against Lasso, which led the latter to call the early elections.
His fellow candidates expressed remorse. In a message on Twitter , Otto Sonnenholzner, said: “Our deepest condolences and deep solidarity with the loved ones of Fernando Villavicencio. May God keep him in his glory. Our country has gotten out of hand.”
“Today more than ever, the need to act with a strong hand against crime is reiterated. May God have him in his glory,” fellow presidential hopeful Jan Topic said.
Just days prior to his murder, Villavicencio, who was 59, had alleged on national television that he had received several death threats which he said came from the Choneros gang, known as “Alias Fito”.
Suspect in white t-shirt pinned to the ground after he assassinated President candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, in Quito, Ecuador.
As seen in the video below, Fernando Villavicencio, the right-winged candidate running for President of Ecuador, has just been assassinated during a presidential rally in Quito. He was reportedly shot 3 times in the head.
Villavicencio has reportedly died on the scene.
He was an Ecuadorian journalist who was elected to public office in 2021 as National Assemblyman.
In September of 2022, his home was shot at, but he was not harmed.
Political unrest is taking place all over the world. It’s time for us to realize that we are all human. Villavicencio was rushed to a medical center near the site of the shooting. Carlos Figueroa, a personal friend of Villavicencio, said in a video posted on social networks that the candidate died from gunshot wounds. Minister of the Interior Juan Zapata confirmed his death shortly afterward.
Local media reported Mr Villavicencio, a former lawmaker who had been polling around fifth, had been shot three times in the head “hit-man style” at a campaign event in Quito.
Mr Lasso issued a warning to organised crime groups, telling them they would feel “the full weight of the law”.
“For his memory and for his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Mr Lasso posted on social media.
“As an Ecuadorian, I deeply regret the murder of Fernando Villavicencio at the hands of criminals,” said Jan Topic, an opponent with the alliance For a Country Without Fear.
“Today more than ever the need to act with a strong hand against crime is reiterated.”
Yaku Pérez, candidate for the Claro que se Puede alliance, said: “Dismayed by the tragic and condemnable murder of Fernando Villavicencio. My condolences to his family and loved ones. This fact will not go unpunished, Ecuador does not deserve one more death, it is time to unite and recover La Paz.”
Xavier Hervas, candidate for the RETO movement, said the country had “reached a critical point”. Before heading the Movimiento Construye candidacy, the 59-year-old politician and journalist was a member of the country’s National Assembly until its dissolution and chaired the Oversight Committee. During the impeachment trial against Lasso, Villavicencio was criticized because the commission he oversaw issued a report favorable to the president, which did not have the support of the other legislators. The assassination takes place 11 days before the elections in a country suffocated by an unprecedented crisis. During the campaign, the mayor of Manta, a key port for drug trafficking, and a candidate to the National Assembly have also been murdered.
Luisa González, the candidate from former president Rafael Correa’s party and who is leading the polls, suspended her campaign upon hearing the news: “I receive with indignation the terrible news of the attack that caused the death of Fernando Villavicencio. This is a shame for all of us, my solidarity embrace to all his family and [members of his party]. This vile act will not go unpunished!”
