Ecuador anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead before election

Assassinated Ecuadoran presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio
(Image credit: Rodrigo Buendia / AFP via Getty Images)

Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate in Ecuador known for speaking out about corruption and the ties between organized crime and government officials, was shot dead after leaving a political rally Wednesday evening in Quito, the capital. President Guillermo Lasso blamed "organized crime" for the assassination, and assured the South American country "this crime will not go unpunished" and the parties responsible "will feel the full weight of the law."

When Villavicencio "stepped outside the door, he was met with gunfire," said Carlos Figueroa, a Villavicencio campaign worker. "There was nothing to be done, because they were shots to the head." He had received and reported several death threats, his campaign said.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.