 An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking up against cartels and corruption has been shot dead at a campaign rally. Fernando Villavicencio, a member of the country's national assembly, was attacked as he left the event in the northern city of Quito on Wednesday. A member of his campaign team told local media Mr Villavicencio was getting into a car when a man stepped forward and shot him in the head. Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination and suggested organised crime was behind his slaying, less than two weeks before the Aug. 20 presidential election. Fernando Villavicencio was an anti-corruption candidate who vowed to take action against drug cartels (Picture: Getty) 'I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,' Lasso said in a statement. 'Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law.' The suspect was shot by security forces in a firefight following the killing and later died in hospital, the country's attorney generl confirmed on socal media. In his final speech before he was killed, Villavicencio promised a roaring crowd that he would root out corruption and lock up the country's 'thieves.' The presidential candidate said he had received multiple death threats throughout the campaign, including several from Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, one of a slew of international organized crime groups that now operate in Ecuador. He said his campaign represented a threat to such groups. 'Here I am showing my face. I'm not scared of them,' Villavicencio said in a statement, naming detained crime boss José Adolfo Macías by his alias 'Fito.' Villavicencio was one of eight candidates in the upcoming election, but was not considered the frontrunner. The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. Supporter Ida Paez said that Villavicencio's campaign had given her hope that the coun){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking up against cartels and corruption has been shot dead at a campaign rally.
Fernando Villavicencio, a member of the country’s national assembly, was attacked as he left the event in the northern city of Quito on Wednesday.
A member of his campaign team told local media Mr Villavicencio was getting into a car when a man stepped forward and shot him in the head.
Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination and suggested organised crime was behind his slaying, less than two weeks before the Aug. 20 presidential election.