Planning: Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, Laura Castillo and three accomplices [a][8] On 9 August 2023, eleven days before the 2023 Ecuadorian general election, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated after leaving a campaign rally in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
[11] Villavicencio was an Ecuadorian politician and a member of the National Assembly prior to its dissolution following president Guillermo Lasso's invocation of muerte cruzada.
[15] Campaign advisor Patricio Zuquilanda also said that Villavicencio had received multiple death threats prior to the shooting, including one from the Sinaloa Cartel, that resulted in one arrest.
[18][19][20] On 9 August 2023, eleven days before the general election,[21] Villavicencio spoke at a Movimiento Construye political rally at the Colegio Anderson in Quito.
[37] On 27 February 2024, attorney Ana Hidalgo revealed during the preparatory hearing that the orders of the assassination were given by Los Lobos leader Carlos Edwin Angulo Lara, alias Invisible, from the Latacunga Penitentiary.
[8] On 12 July 2024, a court in Quito sentenced Carlos Angulo, the alleged leader of the Los Lobos gang, and Laura Castillo to 34 years' imprisonment for ordering the assassination.
[44] On 11 August, a public memorial for Villavicencio was held at a convention center in Quito followed by a private funeral for relatives and associates.
[45] On 21 August, one day after the elections, "Gente Buena", one of the movements that co-sponsored Villavicencio's candidacy, broke ties with Movimiento Construye, citing disagreements about their leadership and assembly conformation.
[51] In a televised address to the nation shortly after midnight, Lasso announced three days of national mourning and the imposition of a state of emergency across the country for the following 60 days, entailing the deployment of the military to support the work of the police and the suspension of a number of civil liberties, such as freedom of assembly and the inviolability of the home.
[30][52] Diana Atamaint, the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), said that since the ballot papers had already been printed, Villavicencio's name and photograph would still appear on them on election day and votes cast for him would be counted towards any substitute candidate nominated by Movimiento Construye (MC-25).
[67] Other candidates called for a tougher stance on crime, including Yaku Pérez Guartambel, Xavier Hervas, Jan Topić, Otto Sonnenholzner, and Luisa González.
[69] Former president Rafael Correa remarked on his killing that Ecuador had become a "failed state" and warned that "those who try to sow more hate" with his death "will only continue to destroy us".
[70] The electoral observation mission of the Organization of American States (OAS), due to start arriving in the country the day after the assassination, shared the grief and consternation of the Ecuadorian people and called on the authorities to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation.