Sounds of gunfire were heard during the event of Noboa, the presidential candidate from the National Democratic Action political movement, on Thursday evening, media reported.
Journalists participating in the event said they did not know if it was an attack on the candidate. Noboa was in the center of Duran when shots were heard. The politician's security evacuated him without being injured, the report said.
Noboa wears a bulletproof vest and has been reportedly receiving death threats.
In early August, Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead in Ecuador's capital Quito during an attack at an election rally. Moreover, the leader of the Citizen Revolution Movement in the Esmeraldas province, Pedro Briones, was shot dead earlier this week.
As of late July, 25 politicians have been assassinated in the country since January 2022, according to the newspaper.