Ecuador accused of meddling in Colombian election with tariff vow

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Ecuador accused of meddling in Colombian election with tariff vow51 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAleks PhillipsGetty ImagesEcuadorian President Daniel Noboa was accused of "meddling" in Colombia's pollColombia's foreign ministry has accused Ecuador's president of "deliberate interference" in its forthcoming election after he promised a right-wing candidate he would lift tariffs. Daniel Noboa framed his conversation with Colombian presidential hopeful Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday as one with an administration-in-waiting, saying the two had "reached an agreement" on trade and security. Colombia heads to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president, in an atmosphere of intense political polarisation.

The outcome of the election could redefine which countries the Latin American nation aligns itself with, and how the government intends to tackle drug gangs amid spiralling violence. Left-wing President Gustavo Petro, who is unable to seek re-election, has repeatedly sparred with his US counterpart Donald Trump over a number of issues including drug trafficking and American intervention in the region. Noboa, a staunch ally of the US president, has taken a hard line on drug-related violence and has joined a US-led alliance aimed at fighting cartels.

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He wrote that he had decided to drop Ecuador's tariffs on Colombian products as of 1 June following his conversation with de la Espriella, and said the two had "agreed on the handover of Ecuadorian criminals who are in Colombian territory". Ecuador has gradually imposed tariffs on imports from Colombia since January, citing what it described as Bogotá's failure to secure their shared border. Its geographical location - sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest producers of cocaine - has turned Ecuador into a key transit country for the illicit drug.

Petro's government has denied the accusation and responded with economic measures of its own. Death toll in Colombia highway bus bomb attack rises to 20BBC joins Colombian commandos fighting 'never-ending battle' against drug gangsColombia's foreign ministry criticised "the misleading presentation of the decision to repeal the tariffs as a goodwill measure by the Ecuadorian leader" in a statement on Saturday. "This meddling by a foreign leader in the democratic process of another state constitutes a flagrant violation of the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs, a threat to national sovereignty and an attack on the democratic system," it added.

Colombia's political culture had for decades often favoured centrist technocrats for the presidency. But its politics has become increasingly polarised, with Petro becoming Colombia's first left-wing president in its recent history. None of the candidates in Sunday's poll appear likely to win an outright majority, with a run-off vote scheduled for 21 June.

Polling suggests Petro's choice of successor, Iván Cepeda, has the greatest support, with de la Espriella his next-closest rival.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.