​Arauz won first place in the first round of Ecuador's presidential elections. | Photo: EFE


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Quito, March 19 (RHC)-- Former Latin American presidents have rejected the interference shown by Colombia's attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, in Ecuador's elections, and to the detriment of presidential candidate Andres Arauz, winner of the first round of elections.

The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, stated on his Twitter account: "We reject the interventionist and intimidating action by the Attorney General of Colombia against the winning candidate of the elections in Ecuador, Andres Arauz."

Evo Morales said that Barbosa, "with false accusations of illicit financing, tries to affect his triumph in (the) second round," scheduled for next April 11th.

"We reject the interventionist and intimidating action by the Attorney General of Colombia against the winning candidate of the #Ecuador elections, @ecuarauz, who with false accusations of illicit financing tries to affect his triumph in the second round."

- Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) February 13, 2021

Andres Arauz, candidate of the opposition alliance Union for Hope (Unes), received more than 3,077,000 votes in the February 7th elections -- 32.06 percent -- and is awaiting an opponent from Yaku Pérez and Guillermo Lasso, who are competing for second place.

The Colombian attorney general traveled to Quito to deliver to his Ecuadorian counterpart alleged information found in computers of the slain guerrilla chief of the National Liberation Army (ELN), alias Uriel, which would point to alleged financing for Arauz.

The alleged information about @ecuarauz's links to the ELN is infamy. pic.twitter.com/NJNHWne4B5

- Ernesto Samper P. (@ernestosamperp) February 13, 2021

The former president of Colombia, Ernesto Samper, affirmed in a tweet that the alleged information about links of the Unes presidential hopeful with the ELN "are an infamy."

"It's part of a dirty game being orchestrated from Colombia by the radical sectors of the right wing of both countries to interfere in the second round of the Ecuadorian presidential elections," said the former president (1994-1998).

- Puebla Group (@ProgresaLatam) February 13, 2021

The Puebla Group, which brings together several former presidents of the region, including Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, issued a statement in which it "categorically rejects the attempt to link Andrés Arauz with the National Liberation Army".

Andres Arauz, who was Minister/Coordinator of Knowledge and Human Talent during the government of Rafael Correa (2007-1017), denounced a media campaign against him.