Fernando Villavicencio: Video Capturing Chilling Moment Ecuador Presidential Candidate Was Shot Dead Emerges

• Thousands of voters in the Andean nation of Ecuador are expected to head to the polls on Sunday, August 20
• The central issue in the hotly-contested elections is the rise in violence and crime in Ecuador
• Fernando Villavicencio is a former journalist who had collaborated with the Guardian and was outspoken

Ecuador - Eight presidential candidates registered to face off when Ecuadoreans head to the polls for early elections on Sunday, August 20, 2023.

However, one of the presidential candidates Fernando Villavicencio has been shot dead as he left a campaign event in Quito.

The central issue in the hotly-contested elections is the rise in violence and crime.

How Fernando Villavicencio was shot

A video on social media showed the moment Villavicencio was about to get into a car when a man stepped forward and shot him in the head three times.

During the melee, people started to scream and take cover.

Miraculously, a grenade discovered at the scene remained un-triggered, averting further catastrophe.

The death was confirmed on social media by current President Guillermo Lasso.

Villavicencio is a former journalist who had collaborated with the Guardian and was outspoken about alleged links between organised crime and politics.

President Guillermo Lasso dissolves Parliament

The polls will cap an extraordinary series of events that saw President Guillermo Lasso dissolve the opposition-controlled National Assembly and cut his own term short instead of facing impeachment proceedings.

The rally, captured on video, also captured the apprehension of a suspect, prompting intense speculation about the motivations behind this heinous act.

Beyond this incident, Villavicencio's life was punctuated by significant moments.

The shocking assassination of Villavicencio has cast a dark shadow over the nation's political landscape.

Villavicencio displayed courage by leaking confidential documents to WikiLeaks, which unveiled Ecuador's utilisation of an Italian surveillance firm to conduct a programme targeting journalists and political adversaries.

How Villavicencio unmasked rot in Ecuador

His revelations unmasked a web of espionage that extended even to Julian Assange during his embassy asylum.

CNN reported that the slain politician had been vocal about corruption in various government departments, which he attributed to drug trafficking.

He had stated that the country had been turned into a 'narco-state', promising to lead the war against the political mafia.

Villavicencio's death on Wednesday, August 9, comes ahead of a highly contested presidential election in the Andean nation.