Diplomatic tension: Ecuador asks the Mexican ambassador to leave the country

Through a statementthe Foreign Ministry of Ecuador declared the Mexican ambassador in Quito “persona non grata”. After the announcement, the diplomat must leave the country, although so far no date has been specified.

“In the context of the recent and very unfortunate statements by the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, regarding the 2023 elections in Ecuador and the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando VIllavicencio, the Government of the Republic of Ecuador has decided, in accordance with article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, declare the Ambassador of Mexico in Quito, madam, 'persona non grata' Raquel Serur Smeke“says the note.

In addition, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry also emphasizes that they have a “firm commitment to permanently ensure respect for dignity and sovereignty” and the “fundamental principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States.

The government considered “very unfortunate” the statements of the Mexican president in which he questioned the alleged manipulation of the media to “create a rarefied atmosphere of violence” which, according to him, ended up affecting the rival leftist candidate of the current President Daniel Noboa.

López Obrador's statements were given in his usual morning conference this Wednesday. In it, the president called the 2023 elections, which Noboa won, “strange.”

The Government of the Republic of Ecuador has decided, in accordance with article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, to declare the Ambassador of Mexico in Quito, Mrs. Raquel Serur Smeke, 'persona non grata'.

“There were elections in Ecuador, the candidate of the progressive forces was about 10 points ahead, 10 points. Like three, four, five more candidates. Then, a candidate who speaks ill of the candidate at the top is suddenly assassinated, and the candidate who was at the top falls, and the candidate who was in second rises. But the candidate who remains a suspect after this murder continues campaigning in circumstances, I consider, very difficult because imagine all the media, but she continues and continues and continues,” López said this Wednesday.

And he added: “And what do they implement or what is the second stage? Creating a rarefied atmosphere of violence, to the extent that the candidates – and this is reported by all the media – wear vests to the debates. But everything armed. Well, the candidate did not win and the most unfortunate thing is that the violence continues, that they just used the moment,” declared López Obrador.

In other words, López Obrador said that, according to his criteria, The Villavicencio crime harmed Luisa González above allthe presidential candidate of the Citizen Revolution movement, led by former progressive ruler Rafael Correa (2007-2017), an opinion that has also been shared by several electoral analysts in Ecuador.

The Mexican president assured that there is social responsibility in the environment of situations of violence and said that the media does not escape from this either.

Villavicencio was gunned down on August 9, 2023, at the exit of an electoral rally in Quito when there were eleven days left until the first round of the extraordinary general elections were held.

The murder of Villavicencio raised to unprecedented levels the wave of violence that has hit Ecuador for about three years, making the country one of the most violent in Latin America, with 45 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.

On January 8, President Noboa decreed a state of emergency nationwide due to the high levels of insecurity, and declared a situation of “internal armed conflict”, for which he began to call 22 organized crime groups “terrorists”. , according to the Efe agency

What is article 9 of the Vienna Convention and what does it say?

The Vienna Convention It is a letter that governs the principles of diplomatic relations between the States that accepted said document. The treaty entered into force on April 24, 1964.

It states: “The receiving State may, at any time and without having to give reasons for its decision, inform the sending State that the head or other member of the diplomatic staff of the mission is persona non grata, or that any other mission staff member is not acceptable. The sending State will then withdraw that person or terminate his or her functions in the mission., as appropriate. Any person may be declared non grata or not acceptable before his arrival in the territory of the receiving State.”

CARLOS JOSÉ REYES

INTERNATIONAL DEPUTY EDITOR

TIME