Candidate in Ecuador's presidential election shot dead

A campaigner successful Ecuador's upcoming statesmanlike predetermination has been changeable dead.

Fernando Villavicencio, a subordinate of the country's nationalist assembly, was attacked aft an lawsuit successful the bluish metropolis of Quito connected Wednesday.

A subordinate of his run squad told section media Mr Villavicencio was astir to get into a car erstwhile a antheral stepped guardant and changeable him successful the head.

The decease was confirmed connected societal media by existent president Guillermo Lasso.

The statesmanlike predetermination is scheduled to instrumentality spot connected 20 August.

Mr Lasso said helium was "outraged and shocked" by the sidesplitting and pledged that "this transgression volition not spell unpunished".

"Organized transgression has travel a agelong way, but the afloat value of the instrumentality is going to autumn connected them," helium said.

A caller emergence successful convulsive crime, fuelled by the increasing beingness of cause cartels successful Ecuador, has been a cardinal contented successful the statesmanlike campaign.

Last week, Mr Villavicencio, a erstwhile journalist, said helium and his squad had been threatened by the person of a pack linked to cause trafficking.

His sidesplitting follows that of Agustín Intriago, politician of the metropolis of Manta, successful July and Omar Menéndez, campaigner for politician successful the metropolis of Puerto López, successful February.