Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency on Thursday following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

According to a televised statement, the state of emergency will last 60 days. Elections will be held on the scheduled date, Sunday, August 20.

Villavicencio, a fierce critic of corruption and organized crime in the country, was killed with three shots to the head at the end of a political rally in Quito, authorities confirmed.