Assange’s fate may hinge on election
QUITO Whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can stay at the Ecuadorean embassy in London could depend on the winner of tomorrow’s presidential election in the South American country.
Ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno, who is the hand-picked successor of outgoing President Rafael Correa, has indicated he would back Assange continuing to stay. But his main challenger, former banker Guillermo Lasso, has indicated that he would evict the Australian activist within 30 days of taking office.
‘‘Ecuador has no business spending a single cent protecting someone who definitely leaked confidential information,’’ Lasso said.
Other conservative candidates are even more outspoken. ‘‘The money we’re using to maintain him in the embassy we could be using to provide meals in schools,’’ said former congresswoman Cynthia Viteri.
Polls indicate that none of the eight people running is likely to get enough votes to win the first round. Moreno has 28 to 32 per cent support but lacks a big enough edge to avoid a runoff election against Lasso.
Correa, an outspoken critic of the United States, decided in 2012 to grant asylum to Assange, based on concerns that he could face political persecution for documents published by Wikileaks. Assange fled to the embassy after an unsuccessful legal battle to prevent being sent to Sweden, where he is wanted on a rape allegation.
Supporters of Assange have been warning that his days at the embassy could be numbered. Earlier this week, a protest was staged on social media to draw attention to his plight.
For most Ecuadoreans, Assange’s case seems like a Hollywood spy movie. His asylum has barely been mentioned during the campaign.
But even Correa’s government has expressed some misgivings about Assange’s activism. Moreno has said that if he wins, he will ask Assange to be more careful to prevent complicating Ecuador’s relations with other countries.
Lasso is offering a sharp break with 10 years of leftist rule, vowing to speak out against Venezuela’s socialist government and renegotiate debts with China. AP, Reuters