The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso took to twitter to confirm the death of Villavicencio and offer the following statement (translated)
Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. My sympathy and condolences to his wife and daughters. For his memory and for his struggle, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished. The Security Cabinet will meet in a few minutes in Carondelet. I asked the president of the CNE, Diana Atamaint; the Attorney General of the State, Diana Salazar; the president of the National Court of Justice, Iván Saquicela; and the other authorities of the State to urgently attend this meeting to discuss this fact that has appalled the country. Organized crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law will fall on them.
Villavicencio had campaigned hard against the scourge of organized crime, and it evidently paid with his life. Images of the murder scene have circulated on Twitter. Viewer discretion is requested. We will continue to report on this developing story.
Ecuadorian right-wing presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed while leaving a political demonstrationpic.twitter.com/VwIzkcZyfr
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 10, 2023
“For his memory and his struggle, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” Lasso said on Twitter.