What to Know About Fernando Villavicencio, Who Was Assassinated in Ecuador

Union leader. Muckraking journalist. Legislator. Presidential candidate. And now, assassin’s victim.

Fernando Villavicencio, who was gunned down at a rally on Wednesday, had a long history in Ecuadorean public affairs, largely as an antagonist to those in power. He rose to prominence as a union leader at the state oil company, Petroecuador, and later played a crucial role in exposing a corruption scandal involving the administration of former President Rafael Correa.

Mr. Correa, a socialist,…