While many talk about the return of the right in Latin America, Rafael Correa’s “citizen revolution” won another term in office: former vice president Lenín Moreno will rule until 2021 after defeating former banker Guillermo Lasso in a close second round vote. Although the opposition candidate denounced electoral fraud, other Latin American governments, as well as the observation mission of the Organization of American States (OAS), have recognized the results. On May 24, then, Correa will hand his chosen successor the presidency and a series of challenges: economic decline, social polarization and (less urgent) a foreign policy in need of some adjustments.
Ecuador has now confirmed that it cut off internet access at their London Embassy for Julian Assange, the leader of the group WikiLeaks, who has been staying at the embassy since 2012. NPR’s Kelly McEvers talks to Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, about what Ecuador’s calculus might be.
Where do relations stand between Ecuador and the United States today, and how might the arrival of a new ambassador in Washington affect ties between the two countries?
César Montúfar, Walter Spurrier, Ramiro Crespo, Efrain Baus
