ECUADOR: Center-Right Candidate Noboa Defeats Leftist In Pres. Election

[world politics news]

Center-right candidate Daniel Noboa, the 35-year-old son of a banana tycoon, will become Ecuador’s next president, and the nation's youngest, following an election driven by concerns over rising violence and a worsening security situation in the Latin American nation.

Noboa won 52.3% of the votes. His main political rival, leftist candidate and first round front-runner Luisa González, obtained 47.7% of votes.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#BREAKING: #JulianAssange May Soon Be Evicted From #Ecuador's London Embassy, Says Report

[world politics news]

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is close to being evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he's resided since 2012, according to a news report in The Intercept. Ecuadorian Pres. Lenin Moreno - with whom Assange has reportedly clashed on policy - was in London Friday to speak at the 2018 Global Disabilities Summit. The concealed, actual purpose of the President’s trip, reports Glenn Greenwald, is to meet with British officials to finalize an agreement under which Ecuador will withdraw asylum protection from Assange and then hand him over to British authorities.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ECUADOR: Leftist Candidate Lenin Moreno Wins Presidential Race

[world politics news]

Lenin Moreno, a progressive candidate and renowned disability activist from the ruling Alianza Pais Party, won the Ecuadorean presidential election Sunday. With 99% of the vote in, Moreno defeated former banker Guillermo Lasso, candidate for the right-wing CREO-SUMO alliance, with 51.16% to 48.84%, according to results issued by the country’s National Electoral Council.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ECUADOR: Leftist Pres. Candidate Leads, But April Run-Off Required

[world politics news]

Ecuador will hold a run-off presidential election in April after a hard fought and inconclusive first round. The nation could be the latest Leftist-run nation to shift toward the Right. The ruling party's leftist candidate Lenin Moreno finished first, but fell short of the margin needed to avoid a run-off. He will face his conservative rival Guillermo Lasso April 2. Moreno, a former vice president under Pres. Rafael Correa, garnered 39% of the votes, against 28% for Lasso, a former banker, the National Electoral Council said.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ECUADOR: National Assembly Overwhelmingly Passes Trade Deal With EU

[world politics news]

The National Assembly has approved the Protocol for Ecuador's Accession to the Trade Agreement with the European Union in a lopsided 97-1 vote. The agreement with the EU is said to benefit Ecuadorian trade by allowing the entry of agricultural and industrial products into the bloc with zero tariffs, which could translates into $2.7 billion.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ECUADOR: Legislators Debate Law That Would Legalize, Regulate Marijuana

[world politics news]

A new bill in Ecuador seeks to change the public-policy paradigm on drug use in the country by decriminalizing  and regulating the use of marijuana and other illegal drugs, substituting "information" about them in place of criminal charges.

#ECUADOR: Tariffs Imposed on Neighboring Colombia, Peru, to Shore Up Flagging Oil-Based Economy

[world politics news]

Ecuador has placed tariffs on imports from Colombia and Peru to defend against goods cheapened by the countries' depreciating currencies, as it tries to cushion the impact from tumbling crude oil prices. The OPEC country will impose a 21 percent charge on Colombian goods and a 7 percent duty on Peruvian imports, its trade ministry says.

#ECUADOR: Pres. #Correa: Won't "Ask Permission" of EU Before Increasing Food Exports to Russia

[world politics news]

Ecuador's Leftist Pres. Rafael Correa says Ecuador may increase food exports to Russia in the face of increased sanctions against the Putin regime due to its conflict with #Ukraine, despite the European Union's unhappiness with the move, which would likely undermine recent sanctions against Russia.

ECUADOR: Pres. Correa Plans Financial Services Tax Hikes to Increase Poverty Program Funding

ECUADOR: Foreign Minister Gains Support from "Left Wing Parties" to Protect Assange in  Embassy