On August 9, 2023, Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated at a campaign event in Quito. The killing has shocked the nation and deepened its sense of vulnerability to the crime that has spread across the country in recent years.
Villavicencio was a former lawmaker who had been polling at 7.5% and was a leading anti-corruption campaigner. He was known for speaking up against cartels and corruption. Videos on social media appear to show the candidate walking out of the event surrounded by guards. The video then shows Villavicencio entering a white truck followed by gunfire3.
Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the death of Villavicencio and vowed that the “crime will not go unpunished”. A suspect in the killing died from injuries sustained during the shootout that led to his capture, according to the attorney general’s office.
The killing comes amid a startling wave of violence in the South American nation, with drug trafficking and killings on the rise. “Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law,” Lasso said, referring to the perpetrators of the crime.
Villavicencio was from the Andean province of Chimborazo and was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. He was a former union member at state oil company Petroecuador and later a journalist who denounced alleged millions in oil contract losses. He was one of eight presidential candidates for the late August election.
Villavicencio was one of the most critical voices against corruption, especially 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 criticized by opposition politicians for obstructing an impeachment process this year against Lasso, which led the latter to call early elections.
The assassination of Fernando Villavicencio is a tragic event that has shaken Ecuador and raised concerns about the country’s vulnerability to crime. The investigation into his killing is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the upcoming presidential election.