The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) today condemned the assassination of Ecuador's presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, after concluding a political rally in Quito.

Havana, Cuba.- The event, which occurred this Wednesday, shocked the international community and provoked the rejection of governments of all political persuasions in the world.

In this sense, Minrex, on its Twitter profile, sent condolences to relatives of Villavicencio, a journalist by profession and presidential candidate for the Movimiento Construye coalition.

Also on that social network, the General Director of Latin America and the Caribbean of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Eugenio Martínez Enríquez, reported the delivery of a Note Verbale to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry “expressing profound condemnation of the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and the heartfelt condolences to his family, the people, and the Ecuadorian government."

Press reports said that Villavicencio died on Wednesday, August 9 at the age of 59 after being shot several times, one of them in the head, as he left one of the acts corresponding to his campaign for the upcoming elections on August 20.

During the shooting, there were several injuries and one of the attackers died when he was taken to the hospital.

The president decreed three days of mourning and a state of emergency for 60 days while confirming that elections will be held on the scheduled date. (PL)