Ecuador: Moreno Calls for Rival PAIS Convention as Correa Set to Attend

The PAIS Alliance movement in Ecuador is experiencing an even wider division inside its ranks as President Lenin Moreno called for a rival convention to the official one set to take place in less than two weeks.

RELATED:
Ecuador's Ruling Party to March Against Moreno's Plebiscite

The leaders of the party, including Secretary General Gabriela Rivadeneira, called for a convention on Dec. 3 in the coastal city of Esmeraldas. Former President Rafael Correa, founder of the party, is expected to arrive in the country on Nov. 24 and participate in the event.

But Moreno announced a meeting with other members of the party to discuss another convention. No date has been set.

Rivadeneira has accused Moreno of turning away from the Citizens' Revolution led by Correa a decade ago. She said Moreno has moved to the right and reached an agreement with the country's most wealthy businesspeople to the detriment of the poor.

"We are going to expel the people who have betrayed the government program of Alianza Pais," Correa told AFP in Brussels. He said the "first" to be expelled should be Moreno, "the greatest traitor" who "is ruling with the right, with the bankers."

RELATED:
Lenin Moreno Sacked as President of Ecuador's Leftist PAIS Alliance

Moreno, Correa's former vice president, has been at odds with the former president shortly after taking office in May.

The current president is seeking to gain support from other political parties for his controversial proposed plebiscite, which is being boycotted by some organizations.

The PAIS Alliance's directorate expelled Moreno as president in early November on the grounds that his actions have harmed the party, naming Ricardo Patino, former foreign minister, as president.

Afterwards, a court ruled in favor of Moreno, but the directorate argued that the court has no legal basis for his reinstatement.

Ecuador's Electoral Court is due to rule on who remains the party's president.