1 of 1 Fernando Villavicencio was in fourth place in his voting intentions Photo: EPA via BBC Fernando Villavicencio was in fourth place in his voting intentions Photo: EPA via BBC
According to the country’s authorities, six people suspected of involvement in the death of Fernando Villavicencio, Ecuador’s presidential candidate in this year’s elections, were killed in prison. A statement was released on Friday evening (6).
Villavicencio was assassinated as he left a rally in Quito in August, just days before the election. The candidate was the target of a shooting attack.
According to the government agency that looks after people deprived of their liberty, the prisoners were killed in a prison in Guayaquil, in the southwest of the country.
The prisoners were killed on Friday afternoon. Authorities reported that all of those killed were Colombians.
“The national government condemns the incident and reiterates its political will to cooperate in the relevant investigations to identify those responsible for the crime against the former candidate,” it said in a statement.
On a social network, President Guillermo Lasso stated that he had ordered an immediate meeting of the security cabinet following the incident.
“Neither complicity nor coverup, this is where the truth will come out,” he wrote.
The video shows the moment Ecuador’s presidential candidate is assassinated
Fernando Villavicencio was murdered on August 9th. Images taken that day showed the moment the candidate leaves a rally and gets into a car. Then several shots were fired. Look up.
The candidate was shot in the head and died from his injuries. Six Colombians were arrested on the same day. Another suspect died in an armed confrontation with Villavicencio security forces.
Villavicencio, a former journalist and former union member, was 59 and made allegations against the government throughout his career. He was convicted of defamation in 2014.
Between 2021 and 2023 he was a federal deputy. He declared himself a defender of the social concerns of indigenous people and workers.
After his death, Villavicencio was replaced on the presidential ticket by Christian Zurita. He took third place in the competition. The second round of elections is scheduled for October 15 and will be between the leftwing Luisa González and the rightwing Daniel Noboa.
Ecuador has faced a wave of drug traffickingrelated violence for years, largely because it has become a major route for drugs to the United States and because it has welcomed criminal groups from Colombia.