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Ecuador declares Mexican ambassador persona non grata in response to Mexican President Lopez Obrador's remarks on elections and assassination
Ecuador has expelled Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke in response to President Lopez Obrador's remarks on elections and assassination.
Ecuador took decisive action on Thursday, declaring Mexico’s ambassador persona non grata in response to comments made by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lepez Obrador.
These comments touched on Ecuador's 2023 presidential elections and the assassination of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry emphasized that this action, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, does not signify a diplomatic rupture but necessitates Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke's departure, although the specific timing was not disclosed.
In his remarks, Lopez Obrador raised questions about how the assassination of Villavicencio just days before the first round of elections in August 2023 may have influenced voter behavior.
Ecuador's subsequent elections in October saw Daniel Noboa, a political novice and scion of a banana trade fortune, emerge victorious.
The ministry's statement reiterated Ecuador's ongoing mourning for Villavicencio, highlighting his role in exposing high-level corruption.
Source: Newsroom
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