Fernando Villavicencio Obituary

Fernando Alcibiades Villavicencio Valencia was a politician, trade unionist, and journalist from Ecuador who ran for president in the 2023 general election.

Villavicencio was shot in the head while exiting a vehicle shortly after ending a campaign event at Colegio Anderson in Quito’s northern outskirts on August 9, 2023, at 18:20 (ET).

He was taken to a neighbouring clinic and pronounced dead. He was 59 years old at the time. During the incident, nine other people were injured, including a police officer.

Fernando Villavicencio’s assassination took place less than two weeks before the general election. A day before his death, Villavicencio reported to the Justice Ministry about an undisclosed oil company

According to the Washington Post, his assassination occurred during a period of rising gang violence in the country. During his presidential campaign, Villavicencio received many death threats, including one from the Sinaloa Cartel, the most recent of which was a week before the shooting.

Villavicencio’s running mate Andrea González said that a street in his hometown of Alausí would be named in his honor. He was a member of the National Assembly from 2021 until the legislative body was dissolved on May 17, 2023.