Ecuador's anti-corruption presidential candidate was just assassinated

Ecuador's presidential hopeful, Congressman Fernando Villavicencio, was shot dead at a campaign event in Quito. The candidate of the 'Movimiento Construye' (build movement) party died after being shot three times in the head by hitmen, as reported by the BBC.

The incident was the latest and most significant episode of violence during the campaign for the presidential election, set for August 20th. Rising drug-related violence in the South American country is a primary concern for voters.

At least nine people were injured during the shooting, including a congressional candidate from the same political party and two police officers. The suspects fired around 40 shots, three of which hit the candidate.

According to social media videos from his campaign rally in Quito, the capital, Villavicencio was walking out of the event with his police escort when he was shot in the middle of a crowd of supporters.

The images showed the candidate surrounded by people entering a white pickup truck before shots are heard, triggering panic and confusion in the crowd.

According to Ecuadorian Minister of the Interior (Home Affairs) Juan Zapata, the shooters confronted police officers as they fled and tried to create chaos by throwing a grenade in the street. It did not explode.

The police detained all six men. Zapata's office explained that one of the shooters was injured during the clash with the police and died in a Flagrancy Unit (detention center) in Quito.

After the shooting, Fernando Villavicencio was taken to a Women's Clinic nearby. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival due to his severe injuries.

The Ecuadorian President, Guillermo Lasso, condemned the assassination and claimed that organized crime was behind it.

"I assure you, this crime will not go unpunished," he said. "Organised crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law."

Villavicencio had spoken about the threats he received from drug-trafficking gangs for several days before his assassination.

While promoting his platform against corruption, the candidate often spoke against organized crime groups that have submerged a once-peaceful country into violent chaos.

According to the BBC, Los Lobos, one of the most significant criminal gangs in the country (8,000 members, mostly in prison), claimed responsibility for the assassination through a video on social media.

Ecuador has seen a peak of unprecedented violence in the last two years, especially inside the prison system, due to a war between gangs that work for Mexican cartels.

Ecuador has good infrastructure and large ports that cartels use to smuggle drugs produced in Colombia and Peru to Europe and the US, which resulted in a territorial dispute between some of the most significant criminal groups in the country.

Some criminal groups work for the Sinaloa cartel (formerly commanded by El Chapo Guzman) or the "Jalisco Nueva Generacion" cartel, both Mexican.

According to a statement on local media collected by the BBC, Villavicencio's sister, Patricia Villavicencio, held the government of Guillermo Lasso accountable for what happened.

"I curse this government. It did nothing to protect him," she said, echoing one of the most significant public censures to Lasso's government, which has been unable to stop the violence in the country.

President Lasso decreed a nationwide state of emergency for the next sixty days. It adds to the emergency state he declared on July 26th for two coastal provinces and the prison system.

Villavicencio was one of the loudest critical voices against corruption, especially during the government of former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017). Since then, he has received constant death threats and had a police escort.

A few days prior to his assassination, the placement of an explosive device in the vehicle Villavicencio was traveling in was investigated.

The candidate was fifth out of eight in the presidential race's polls. According to local media, he had gathered the support of around 13% of the electorate.

Villavicencio, a former journalist, had investigated corruption cases in that capacity before jumping to politics. He then served as a Congressman from 2021 until launching his presidential candidacy.

The 59-year-old politician was the chair of Congress's anti-corruption and government control commission. He leaves behind a wife as well as five children.