Ecuador has declared a state of “maximum alert” due to an alleged assassination plot against President Daniel Noboa, who was recently re-elected, according to authorities in the Latin American country.
President Noboa secured victory in the presidential election during a second round on Sunday, but his leftist rival, Luisa Gonzalez, accused him of committing “the most grotesque electoral fraud.”
Leaked reports from military intelligence suggest that assassins entering Ecuador from Mexico and other countries planned to carry out “terrorist attacks” against the head of state, and these reports have circulated on social media this week.
“We strongly condemn and reject any intent to threaten the life of the President of the Republic, state authorities, or officials,” the Ecuadorian government stated in a communiqué on Saturday.
Ecuador is “on maximum alert,” the government declared in the communiqué, attributing the alleged assassination attempt to “criminal organisations associated with political entities that lost the elections.” No further details were provided.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed any implication suggesting Mexico as the “source of alleged criminal acts” in Ecuador.
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“Our country is and will always be guided by the principle of non-intervention,” the ministry affirmed in a statement. Mexico severed ties with Ecuador a year ago after Ecuadorian security forces stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest a former vice-president who had been granted asylum.
Mexico’s left-wing president, Claudia Sheinbaum, expressed support for Ms Gonzalez, who announced she would seek a recount of the second-round votes, which Mr Noboa won with 55.6% of the vote.
The Ecuadorian Electoral Council and international observers have ruled out any fraud in this election.
Daniel Noboa, heir to a banana magnate, represents Ecuador’s political elite from the business world and advocates a hardline security stance, involving the deployment of the military in streets and prisons.
