Ecuador presidential candidate shot and killed at marketing campaign occasion

QUITO — Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed Wednesday by unidentified gunman whereas at a political rally within the nation’s capital of Quito, President Guillermo Lasso mentioned.

The killing comes amid a startling wave of violence within the South American nation, with drug trafficking and violent killings on the rise.

“I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Lasso mentioned in a press release. “Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law.”

The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. He was one of the vital important voices in opposition to corruption, particularly throughout the federal government of former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. He filed many judicial complaints in opposition to excessive rating members of the Correa authorities.

He was married and is survived by 5 kids.