Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead following a campaign rally in the capital, Quito, on August 10.

The suspected perpetrator was killed during a shootout with police. Nine other people were reported injured, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers, according to reports.

Initial comments by the police say they suspect organised crime was behind the assassination. The country’s main newspaper, El Universo, reported that the candidate was assassinated “hitman-style and with three shots to the head”.

Villavicencio, known for his critical stance against former President Rafael Correa, was one of eight presidential candidates registered for the elections scheduled on August 20.

The country's president, Guillermo Lasso, expressed his condolences and vowed that the crime would not go unpunished. Lasso announced the killing of Villavicencio on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He extended his sympathies to Villavicencio's family and pledged that justice would prevail.

“Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. My solidarity and condolences to his wife and daughters,” Lasso tweeted.

“For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished,” he said. “Organised crime has gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them.”

Lasso promised the full resources of the police would be rolled out to find the perpetrators of the crime and that Ecuador would not tolerate organised crime violence. Lasso will hold a meeting with the country’s top security officials later the same day.

Villavicencio, aged 59 and a former journalist, served in parliament and was shot after leaving a campaign event in Quito.

Videos circulating on social media show chaos in the aftermath of the shooting with people lying on the floor seeking cover and panicking. The videos show Villavicencio exiting the event surrounded by guards, entering a white truck, which was followed by the sound of gunshots.

Ecuador's attorney general's office reported that the suspect involved in Villavicencio's killing had died due to injuries sustained during his capture.

“A suspect, who was injured during the shootout with security personnel, was apprehended and moved, badly injured, to the [attorney general’s] unit in Quito. An ambulance from the fire department confirmed his death, and the police are proceeding with the collection of the cadaver,” the attorney general’s office said on social media, as cited by Al Jazeera.

Villavicencio's campaign adviser, Patricio Zuquilanda, told AP that the candidate had received death threats and had reported them to authorities. Villavicencio himself named the jailed leader of the Choneros gang, known as “Alias Fito”, as one of those that had threatened to kill him. Zuquilanda called on the international community to address the escalating violence and drug trafficking in the country, which is suspected to be linked to the slaying.

On August 8 Villavicencio, a candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement, submitted a report to the attorney general’s office about an oil business, but no details of the report have been released. Villavicencio is a former union member at state oil company Petroecuador before he became a journalist who denounced alleged millions in oil contract losses.

Villavicencio’s fellow candidates also expressed condolences. Otto Sonnenholzner tweeted: “Our deepest condolences and deep solidarity with the loved ones of Fernando Villavicencio. May God keep him in his glory. Our country has gotten out of hand,” The Guardian reports.

“Today more than ever, the need to act with a strong hand against crime is reiterated. May God have him in his glory,” another presidential hopeful Jan Topic said on social media.

“The Ecuadorian people are crying, and Ecuador is mortally wounded,” Zuquilanda said, Al Jazeera reports.

The upcoming elections have security at centre stage as the country struggles with economic turmoil and increasing crime and insecurity. Villavicencio was one of several candidates that promised reforms that would revitalise Ecuador’s economy. However, the lack of opportunity and the growing power of criminal groups are a major obstacle to progress, say experts, and has led to a wave of emigration.

About 822,000 Ecuadorians between the ages of 18 and 45 had left the country through June of this year, according to the government. About 1.4 million people left Ecuador during all of last year, Al Jazeera reports.

President Lasso, a former banker who won a surprise election victory in 2021, called early elections in May to head off his potential ouster by the legislature for his lack of results.

The leading candidate to replace Lasso is Luisa Gonzalez who has promised to extend tax benefits to companies that hire young people. Other candidates have stressed the need for digitisation of the economy and public works programmes. Confidence amongst voters that any of the candidates can make a difference is low with 16.8% of voters intending to vote for no one, according to a recent poll.