The Progressive International denies the false and malicious information published by the Colombian magazine Semana and reproduced in other media in Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina, regarding an alleged link between the Progressive International and the ELN guerrilla in Colombia, as a source of funding for the campaign of presidential candidate Andres Arauz.

Among other absurd allegations, the website claims that candidate Arauz supposedly received funds from the ELN and that contact with this organisation was made in the framework of a Progressive International meeting.

The Progressive International held its virtual Global Summit in September 2020 and Andrés Arauz participated for Latin America as presidential candidate for Ecuador together with the Bolivian presidential candidate Luis Arce Catacora, the Colombian pre-candidate for president, Gustavo Petro, and the Argentinian leader Alicia Castro. The Progressive International did not have and does not have any contact with the ELN.

It is clear that this is a smear campaign plagued with falsehoods in an attempt to undermine the most popularly approved candidate.

We have made the complete video of the Progressive International Summit available to the public here. Andrés Arauz participated in it and already warned of the obstacles, lawfare and smear campaign the Ecuadorian right-wing was preparing to circumvent democracy given Andres Arauz is clearly leading the polls in Ecuador.