Assange’s future in the balance as Ecuador votes
The Andean country’s 12.8-million voters will choose a successor to Rafael Correa between Vice-President Lenin Moreno and former banker Guillermo Lasso
Quito — In the latest test of whether left-of-centre rule in Latin America has staying power, Ecuadoreans headed to the polls to pick a successor to Rafael Correa, the self-declared socialist who has led Opec’s smallest member for a record 10 consecutive years. The outcome of the election will determine what happens to Wikileak’s found, Julian Assange, who has been holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London, the UK, since 2012. The Andean country’s 12.8-million voters will choose between Lenin Moreno, Correa’s vice-president from 2007 to 2013, and former banker Guillermo Lasso, at the end of a weekend of political unrest and protests in Venezuela and Paraguay. Lasso has said he will evict Assange within 30 days. Avenues close to the headquarters of the National Electoral Council in Quito have been closed to traffic since midday Friday amid a major increase in security around the compound. Tensions escalated following the first-round vote on February 19 when it took the electoral counci...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.