Ecuadorean presidential candidate Villavicencio shot dead in Quito at event

Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a journalist known for his crusade against corruption, was assassinated less than two weeks before an election where soaring drug violence dominated the campaign. The killing of Villavicencio throws Ecuador’s unstable political environment into further turmoil. Current President Guillermo Lasso, who dissolved congress this year to avoid impeachment, summoned his security council in Quito and vowed to bring Villavicencio’s killers to justice.

A suspect in the killing was wounded in an exchange of fire with security officials and later died. Villavicencio, 59, became a household name in Ecuador during the 2007-2017 government of President Rafael Correa, when he reported on corruption scandals related to loans from China, and on illegal campaign financing