Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead in Ecuador (VIDEO)

Fernando Villavicencio, the presidential candidate of Ecuador, was killed after an election rally in the capital Quito, the newspaper El Universo reports. He was shot three times in the head. This information is confirmed by both his friend and President Guillermo Lasso himself.

Eight more people were injured, seven of them were hospitalized. The prosecutor's office clarified that the suspect in the attack died from gunshot wounds.

According to the latest opinion polls, Fernando Villavicencio did not gain enough votes to win the race for the presidency.

After the assassination of their rival, four candidates for the presidency of Ecuador temporarily suspended their election campaigns. This information was published by the newspaper «El Universo». Otto Sonneholsner, who spoke on behalf of the Let's Act coalition, called for the suspension of election activities and discussion of the country's future. This call was followed by other candidates: Jan Topic from the alliance «For a Country without Fear», Jacu Perez from the coalition «Of course it's possible» and Bolivar Armijos from the movement «Friend».

Race leader Luisa Gonzalez from the Civil Revolution movement decided to end the election campaign ahead of schedule because of the murder of Fernando Villavicencio.

Local media write that a few weeks before the attack Villavicencio received threats.

Early presidential and parliamentary elections in Ecuador are scheduled for August 20. Incumbent President Guillermo Lasso called for early elections to dissolve parliament, which hindered government reforms. However, Guillermo Lasso refused to participate in these elections.