Police guard the hospital where several of the injured were taken after an attack against presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday.
Juan Diego Montenegro/AP
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Juan Diego Montenegro/AP
Police guard the hospital where several of the injured were taken after an attack against presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday.
Juan Diego Montenegro/AP
QUITO, Ecuador — The assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian presidential candidate renowned for his anti-corruption activism, occurred on Wednesday during a political rally in the country’s capital, amidst a surge of violence in the nation.
President Guillermo Lasso confirmed Villavicencio’s death and suggested that organized crime was responsible, just days before the upcoming presidential election on August 20.
In a statement, Lasso said, “I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished. Organized crime has gone too far, but they will face the full weight of the law.”