Colombia rejects Ecuador’s election results
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said he will not recognise the election results in Ecuador, where President Daniel Noboa was re-elected.
President Noboa was re-elected for a four-year term with 56% of the votes over leftist rival Luisa Gonzalez.
In a message posted on social media, Petro said he was worried about the fairness of the elections.
He pointed to a report from the Organisation of American States (OAS), which mentioned some irregularities during the vote.
Petro also said he was concerned because Noboa had declared a State of Exception just one day before the elections. This emergency order, which was announced in seven provinces, limited some constitutional rights.
The army was in charge of security during the voting and the counting of ballots. Petro said, “There are no free elections under a state of siege.”
He also suggested that some of the election results may not be correct and called for Ecuador’s government to release all voting records for review.
Despite his concerns, Petro said he values good relations with Ecuador and its president.
“I want the best of diplomatic relations with our neighbours of the former Gran Colombia,” he said.
Luisa Gonzalez, the left-wing candidate who lost the election, has also refused to accept the results. However, the OAS said that her party did not provide enough evidence to prove major problems with the vote.
Ecuador is currently facing a serious security crisis, which made this election even more tense.
