Ecuador accused of meddling in Colombian election with tariff vow
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa has been accused of meddling in Sunday's Colombian presidential election after pledging punitive tariffs on his neighbour if a left-wing candidate wins. BBC reports that Colombian officials called the comments an attempt to influence the vote, while the OAS and the EU said they were following the situation closely.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa drew sharp diplomatic pushback after telling an interviewer just before Colombia's presidential vote that 'high tariffs' would be applied to goods from his neighbour if a left-wing candidate won in Bogotá. Colombian officials called the remarks a 'direct attempt to interfere in the election' and said they had handed Quito a formal protest note.
Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said the threat 'violated the principle of non-interference' under the Andean Community framework. Noboa's campaign issued a statement saying the comments had been misquoted and were limited to 'informal trade and security cooperation.' Left-wing Pacto Histórico candidate Iván Cepeda called the remarks 'disrespectful of democracy,' while centre-right contender Vicky Dávila kept a neutral line.
The OAS Secretariat said it was 'following the bilateral tensions closely,' and the European Union's Brussels representative said it was coordinating with election observers. Bogotá's main stock index fell 1.8 percent ahead of Sunday's vote, and the Colombian peso lost ground against the U.S. dollar. The real impact on Andean trade flows will become clearer after Monday's official results are announced.
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