Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday he had received “concerning” reports regarding Ecuador’s presidential runoff election held last Sunday, and called for greater transparency—drawing a parallel with Venezuela.

“Colombian observers were sent to Ecuador’s elections. The reports I’ve received are troubling,” Petro wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa secured reelection in the second round with 55.6% of the vote, defeating correísta candidate Luisa González, who received 44.4%. The election results were endorsed by international electoral observer missions from the European Union and the Organization of American States (OAS).

Petro pointed to alleged irregularities, stating: “Leonidas Iza, an Indigenous former candidate, was detained days before. Areas with a majority of opposition support were placed under a state of emergency and military control two days before the election.”

Spanish lawyer and former congresswoman Macarena Olona believes that Europe’s decline in public safety can be reversed by adopting anti-gang policies similar to those implemented by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

“Historic. The U.S. State Department has given El Salvador its highest travel rating, Level 1. Spain is at Level 2, considered a higher risk to travelers’ safety. Europe will only stop its decline by following models that have proven effective: Bukele’s security model,” Olona posted on social media.

Spanish newspaper Marca echoed Olona’s remarks, highlighting in an online article that “the arrival of Nayib Bukele to the presidency of El Salvador in 2019 changed the country forever.” That year, the president unveiled his anti-gang strategy.

“Thanks to the Territorial Control Plan, Bukele’s government arrested over 84,000 suspected gang members, driving violence in the country down to record lows,” Marca added.

Three years later, in response to a spike in homicides in March 2022, Bukele’s administration invoked a constitutional state of emergency to intensify the crackdown on criminal groups. The government also built the Terrorism Confinement Center, a high-security prison to hold thousands of inmates.

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CEL

Two people lost their lives near the Estadio Monumental in Santiago, Chile, following a chaotic incident that occurred before the Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza on April 10. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the victims were crushed after a fence on the stadium perimeter collapsed, though authorities are investigating whether a police armored vehicle may have played a role.

It was a black Thursday at Chile’s Estadio Monumental. Two local fans died outside the stadium after a yet-unclarified incident caused a metal gate to fall on them, leading to fatal asphyxiation.

Local media reports indicate that a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium before kickoff. In response, local police allegedly deployed armored vehicles to block the breach.

Preliminary reports cited by local newspapers and news agencies like EFE identify the victims as two young individuals—one 18 years old and the other just 13.