Supporters of assassinated Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio will host a public memorial for the slain candidate on Friday, after the attorney general’s office charged six suspects in his death.

Villavicencio, a former lawmaker and crusading anti-corruption journalist, was gunned down leaving a campaign event on Wednesday evening, less than two weeks before the election.

The murder was a shocking example of rising violence and crime in the South American country and led some voters to weigh whether they will go to the polls on August 20. It has made an unsettled election even harder to forecast.

Six suspects - all Colombians who police have said belong to criminal groups - were remanded in custody for 30 days by a judge late on Thursday, the attorney general’s office said on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

“On the basis of the elements of conviction presented by the attorney general’s office, the judge ordered preventative prison for the six accused of murder,” the office said. “The order will last 30 days.”

According to charging documents uploaded to the justice system’s website, all six were also charged with illicit trafficking of substances.

Two of the men were previously charged, on July 5, with reception of stolen goods, according to documents on the website. Another document listed two of the men as Ecuadoreans.

All the men had previous criminal records in Ecuador and Colombia, an Ecuadorean police spokesperson said.

A search of the public records database run by the Colombian police listed three of the men as having no criminal record, while the remaining three were listed as “currently not required by any judicial authority.”

One other suspect in the crime died from wounds sustained in a shootout with authorities on Wednesday.

The government has said it is pursuing the “intellectual authors” of the murder and has promised heightened security nationwide to ensure peaceful elections.

Villavicencio died from cranial trauma, haemorrhage and cerebral laceration caused by a bullet, an autopsy quoted in the charging documents said. He also suffered a cranial fracture.

His supporters are waiting to see whether his family on Friday will give details of plans for his funeral, but many planned to gather at a public memorial at noon local time in Quito.

Villavicencio’s body was released to two family representatives, including his lawyer, on Thursday, according to the attorney general’s office.

As a labour organiser and then a journalist, Villavicencio had long been exposed to threats due to his scathing and meticulously documented corruption accusations targeting some of the biggest names in Ecuador’s political and financial establishment.

Despite the suspension of campaigning by two opponents and widespread condemnation of the murder, politicians lost little time in trading barbs.

Villavicencio’s party denounced “political use” of his death and some supporters lobbed criticism at former President Rafael Correa, whom Villavicencio clashed with as an investigative journalist.

Luisa Gonzalez, the Correa-backed candidate who leads the race with just below 30% voter support, accused outgoing President Guillermo Lasso of ties to the Albanian mafia, an allegation Lasso has always denied.

The mud-slinging could worsen citizen confidence in the electoral process and its results, analysts said.

Villavicencio, a married father, had 7.5% support in polls, placing him fifth out of eight candidates.

Violence in Ecuador has surged in recent years, especially in cities along drug-trafficking routes like Guayaquil and Esmeraldas where citizens say they live in fear.

Several Latin American countries have seen similar issues since the coronavirus pandemic.

Lasso, who is dealing with an impeachment bid against him, called the elections early. He has been criticized for failing to tamp down violence, and his government blames bloodshed on the streets and in prisons on criminal infighting to control drug trafficking routes used by Mexican cartels, the Albanian mafia and others.

Beyond security, employment and migration are major issues in the presidential contest.

Candidates will participate in a mandatory televised debate on Sunday. Villavicencio’s party had asked for the debate to be postponed, but the electoral authority declined.