Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead at campaign event

An Ecuadorean presidential candidate who was a critical voice against corruption has been killed at a political rally in the capital Quito.

Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old former politician who had been polling at 7.5% voting intention, was shot dead on Wednesday, local media reported.

The country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, confirmed the death and vowed the murder would not go unpunished.

“For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished,” Mr Lasso said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Organised crime have gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them.”

Mr Lasso said he would host top security officials at an urgent meeting.

Videos on social media purportedly from the campaign event showed people taking cover and screaming as gunfire sounded.

The candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement was one of the most critical voices against corruption, especially during the government of former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. He filed many judicial complaints against high ranking members of the Correa government.

He was married and is survived by five children.

Early accounts show that several others were injured from shrapnel, though authorities did not confirm how many, the Associated Press reported.