Ecuadorian presidential candidate assassinated on campaign trail

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Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated after a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador. Associated Press/API

Ecuadorian presidential candidate assassinated on campaign trail

Police in the capital of Quito on Wednesday detained six suspects in the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, 59. A seventh suspect died Wednesday from injuries sustained during a firefight with security forces. Villavicencio was shot as he was leaving a campaign event at a school. Outgoing President Guillermo Lasso suggested that organized crime was behind the assassination and declared a state of emergency for 60 days and the mobilization of the country’s army. He also called for three days of mourning. Ecuador plans to proceed with the election on August 20 as planned.

Who was Villavicencio? The National Assembly legislator was one of eight candidates running for president. He ran on an anti-corruption platform and pledged to reduce tax evasion if elected. Villavicencio ranked in the middle of the candidates, according to recent polls. He said he received multiple death threats before the assassination.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Onize Ohikere’s report on a prison riot in Ecuador that claimed the lives of 116 prisoners.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.