Ecuador candidates talk tough on crime after assassination

Christian Zurita and Andrea Gonzalez attend a press conference at a hotel, wearing police vests, after the political party of slain Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio picked Gonzalez, the vice-presidential running mate, to replace him as the party standard-bearer, in Quito, Ecuador August 13, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero

QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuador's presidential candidates promised improvements in security during a debate late on Sunday, days after their fellow hopeful Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated leaving a campaign event.

The killing of the 59-year-old in the closing days of the campaign has sent shockwaves through the South American country of 18 million people, where violent crime stoked by transnational gangs has risen sharply in recent years.