EU observers "categorically" reject Ecuador election fraud allegations
By Alexandra Valencia
QUITO (Reuters) - European Union observers said on Tuesday that they "categorically" reject allegations of fraud in Ecuador's Sunday presidential elections, joining a chorus of rejections of leftist Luisa Gonzalez's call for a recount.
Electoral authorities, the Organization of American States, the United States and members of Gonzalez's own party have said that President Daniel Noboa secured a full term in the vote.
Noboa's lead of more than 1 million votes was a surprising sweep, after a tight February first round when he finished ahead by just over 16,700 votes.
"We categorically reject the repeated narrative of fraud which has lead the (Citizens' Revolution) candidate not to recognize the results," said the head of the EU's observation mission, Gabriel Mato, during a press conference.
His team have not seen any evidence of manipulation or credible reports of fraud, Mato said, adding Ecuadoreans had voted freely.
There is work to be done for future contests, however, to ensure campaign donations are tracked properly, he said.
Indigenous party Pachakutik, which had backed Gonzalez, said in a statement early on Tuesday it recognized Noboa's victory and hoped campaign pledges would be implemented for the good of the country.
Gonzalez has not appeared publicly since Sunday night, nor provided details of what she said was a "grotesque" fraud.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US-China trade talks to resume for a second day
By Kate Holton and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -Top U.S. and Chinese officials will resume trade talks for a second day in London on Tuesday, hoping to secure a breakthrough over export controls for goods such as rare earths that have threatened a global supply chain shock and slower economic growth. Investors are hoping that the two superpowers can improve ties after the relief sparked by a preliminary trade deal agreed in Geneva last month gave way to fresh doubts after Washington accused Beijing of blocking exports that are critical to sectors including autos, aerospace, semiconductors and defence. The talks come at a crucial time for both economies, with customs data showing that China's exports to the U.S. plunged 34.5% in May, the sharpest drop since February 2020, when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic upended global trade. While the impact on U.S. inflation and the jobs market has so far been muted, the dollar remains under pressure from U.S. policymaking. The two sides met at the ornate Lancaster House in the British capital on Monday to discuss disagreements around the Geneva deal, and are due to resume talks early on Tuesday before both sides are expected to issue updates. The U.S. side is led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, while the Chinese contingent is helmed by Vice Premier He Lifeng. The inclusion of Lutnick, whose agency oversees export controls for the U.S., is one indication of how central rare earths have become. China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets, a crucial component in electric vehicle motors. Lutnick did not attend the Geneva talks at which the countries struck a 90-day deal to roll back some of the triple-digit tariffs they had placed on each other. Trump's often erratic policymaking on tariffs has roiled global markets, sparked congestion and confusion in major ports, and cost companies tens of billions of dollars in lost sales and higher costs. The second round of meetings between the two sides comes four days after Trump and Xi spoke by phone, their first direct interaction since Trump's January 20 inauguration. Following the call Trump said Xi had agreed to resume shipments to the U.S. of rare earths minerals and magnets, and Reuters reported that China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three U.S. automakers. But tensions remain high over the export controls, after factories around the world started to fret that they would not have enough of the materials they need to keep operating. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oil inches up, outcome of US-China trade talks awaited
By Anjana Anil (Reuters) -Oil prices edged up on Tuesday as market participants waited for the outcome of U.S.-China talks that could pave the way for easing trade tensions and improve fuel demand. Brent crude futures edged up 12 cents to $67.16 a barrel at 0041 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was trading up 13 cents at $65.42, after hitting its highest since April 4 earlier in the session. On Monday, Brent had risen to $67.19, the highest since April 28, buoyed by the prospect of a U.S.-China trade deal. U.S.-China trade talks were set to continue for a second day in London as top officials aimed to ease tensions that have expanded from tariffs to rare earth curbs, risking global supply chain disruptions and slower growth. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the talks were going well and he was "only getting good reports" from his team in London. A trade deal between the U.S. and China could support the global economic outlook and boost demand for commodities including oil. Elsewhere, Iran said it would soon hand a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal to the U.S. in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems "unacceptable", while Trump made clear that the two sides remained at odds over whether the country would be allowed to continue enriching uranium on Iranian soil. Iran is the third-largest producer among members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and any easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran would allow it to export more oil, weighing on global crude prices. Meanwhile, a Reuters survey found that OPEC oil output rose in May, although the increase was limited as Iraq pumped below target to compensate for earlier overproduction and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates made smaller hikes than allowed. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil and includes OPEC members and allies such as Russia, is accelerating its plan to unwind its most recent layer of output cuts. "The prospect of further hikes in OPEC supply continues to hang over the market," Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, said in a note. "A permanent shift to a market driven strategy (in OPEC) would push the oil market into a sizeable surplus in H2 2025 and almost surely lead to lower oil prices." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia's new drone strikes hit Kyiv, maternity ward in Odesa, Ukraine says
By Pavel Polityuk KYIV (Reuters) -Russia launched another large drone attack on Ukraine, striking Kyiv and damaging a maternity ward in the southern port of Odesa, regional officials said early on Tuesday. The overnight attacks follow Russia's biggest drone strike on Ukraine on Monday - part of intensified operations that Moscow said were retaliatory measures for Kyiv's recent brazen attacks inside Russia. Medics were called to four districts of Kyiv a couple hours after midnight on Tuesday, including the historic Podil neighbourhood, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app. The military said the strikes were still ongoing and urged people to seek bomb shelters. The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear. "Enemy drones are simultaneously attacking several districts of the city," Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration said on the Telegram messaging app. "There is damage to residential buildings and fires. Rescuers are working at the sites." Reuters' witnesses heard a series of loud explosions throughout the city. In the southern port of Odesa, a "massive" drone attack targeted an emergency medical building and a maternity ward, as well as residential buildings, Oleh Kiper, governor of the broader Odesa region said on Telegram. Regarding the maternity hospital there were no casualties and patients and staff were evacuated, Kiper said. He posted photos of broken windows in what looked like a medical facility and of damages to facades of several buildings. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched against Ukraine more than three years ago. But thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, the chief majority of them Ukrainian.
