quit. Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead after holding a rally on Wednesday in Quito, several national media reported.
Villavicencio, 59 years old and whose death was confirmed by local media by the Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata, friends and relatives of the victim, was one of the eight candidates in the first round of the presidential elections that are held in advance on August 20 in Ecuador, a country suffering an increase in violence linked to drug trafficking.
Lasso condemns the murder
For his part, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, confirmed through the X social media platform that the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated and promised that the crime will not go unpunished.
Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. My solidarity and my condolences with his wife and his daughters. For his memory and for his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished.
The Security Cabinet will meet in…
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) August 10, 2023
