Less than 48 hours before the first round of Colombia’s presidential election, scheduled for Sunday, May 31, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced the elimination of the tariffs his country had maintained on Colombian products.
The decision was communicated following a virtual meeting with Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De la Espriella, in a move that has generated significant political controversy because it took place in the midst of the election campaign and because of the explicit support the Ecuadorian president expressed for the far-right populist candidate.
The meeting, which lasted less than ten minutes and was broadcast live through De la Espriella’s social media accounts, ended with an announcement that represents a shift in trade relations between the two countries.
Following a request made by the Colombian candidate, Noboa agreed to lift the tariffs effective Monday, June 1, one day after Colombians go to the polls to elect their next president.
Ecuador lifts tariffs on Colombia after Noboa–De la Espriella meeting
The conversation between the two leaders focused on security issues, bilateral cooperation, and trade. However, the most significant moment came when De la Espriella asked the Ecuadorian president to eliminate the tariff measures imposed months earlier on Colombian imports.
Noboa responded affirmatively and announced that, beginning June 1, the security tariff applied to products originating from Colombia would be reduced to zero. The decision brings to an end several months of trade tensions between Bogotá and Quito, marked by differences over border security issues and mutual criticism between the two governments.
Beyond the economic content of the measure, what has triggered an intense political reaction is the context in which the announcement was made. The video call took place just two days before Colombia’s presidential election and was accompanied by explicit messages of support from Noboa toward the Colombian candidate.
“I am doing this as a sign of goodwill, affection, and hope,” the Ecuadorian president said during the conversation. He then referred directly to De la Espriella’s electoral campaign in remarks that were interpreted as open political support. “I am convinced that, with your strength, you will achieve it this weekend,” he said.
The tariffs that have now been eliminated were introduced by Ecuador at the beginning of the year as part of a series of measures linked to security concerns along the shared border. The decision caused discontent in Colombia and affected various trade exchanges between the two Andean countries.
The measure announced by Noboa brings to a close—for now—one of the most tense episodes in recent bilateral relations. Ecuador maintains that lifting the restrictions will help restore trade flows and advance toward a new stage of economic cooperation.
During the conversation, possible future agreements in the energy sector were also mentioned, as well as coordination mechanisms to address issues such as illegal mining, drug trafficking, and organized crime. Both sides agreed on the need to deepen regional cooperation in response to challenges affecting both countries.
Empieza la Patria Milagro.
La verdadera diplomacia no necesita grandes salones, clubes ni viajes, necesita liderazgo y voluntad.
A partir del 1 de Junio se acaban los aranceles para las exportaciones al Ecuador: esta es una gran noticia para el suroccidente colombiano y para… pic.twitter.com/qi3OqAq6Sr
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) May 30, 2026
Noboa enters the Colombian campaign
The intervention of the Ecuadorian president has been viewed by numerous political sectors as a direct interference in Colombia’s electoral process. Although contacts between Latin American leaders are common, it is unusual for a head of state to adopt a significant economic measure and publicly express support for one of the candidates in a neighboring country’s election campaign.
The scene was particularly significant because the trade decision was directly linked to discussions with De la Espriella and was announced during an event broadcast through social media.
The candidate presented the announcement as a demonstration of the ability his eventual government would have to rebuild relations with Ecuador and strengthen regional cooperation on security and the fight against organized crime.
For his part, Noboa defended the rapprochement by arguing that both share a common vision regarding the need to combat drug trafficking and strengthen cross-border cooperation mechanisms.
As he later explained on his social media accounts, the decision came after discussing with the Colombian candidate a joint strategy against narco-terrorism and other transnational threats.
These types of interventions have recently become a constant feature of Latin American electoral processes, following an initial contribution in this regard from U.S. President Donald Trump himself. Amid the wave of conservative populism sweeping across the continent, the practice of demonstrating direct connections between politicians who share the same ideals has already become commonplace.
It should be remembered that relations between Daniel Noboa and Gustavo Petro were never good, but they entered a phase of deterioration in January, when Ecuador directly accused its counterpart of failing to stop criminal activity from crossing the shared border, prompting the imposition of tariffs on Colombian exports as a “security fee” to combat cross-border crime.
Reactions and controversy
In this context, the decision to lift the tariffs has now sparked immediate criticism in Colombia. Sectors close to President Gustavo Petro interpreted the move as foreign intervention at a particularly sensitive moment in the electoral calendar. Various voices questioned the appropriateness of a foreign leader so openly taking sides with one of the presidential contenders.
The Colombian president himself, responding to a comment by a former opposition congressman praising De la Espriella’s role, reacted forcefully. “Uribe went to Ecuador and spoke with Noboa, and they stupidly raised tariffs on Colombia, and now that they messed up the economies of Ecuador and southern Colombia, the Andean Pact ordered them to remove the tariffs,” he wrote this morning on his X social media account.
“To cover up the embarrassment of their stupidity, they send another Uribista to fix the damage that you yourselves caused: Uribistas and the Ecuadorian far right,” he concluded.
Ay amigo Polo Polo, ¿Resucitó?
Uribe fue a Ecuador y habló con Noboa y elevaron estúpidamente los aranceles a Colombia, y ahora que metieron las patas con la economía del Ecuador y el sur de Colombia, el Pacto Andino les ordenó quitar los aranceles.
Para tapar la vergüenza de… https://t.co/GrvnxkFlcZ
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) May 30, 2026
The controversy takes on greater significance because the first round of the presidential election will be held this Sunday, and polls place De la Espriella among the candidates with the greatest chances of competing for power. In that context, any international gesture can take on considerable political significance.
Meanwhile, the far-right candidate took advantage of the announcement to reinforce his message of change in foreign policy and present the agreement as proof that his potential arrival in power would allow relations to be rebuilt with ideologically aligned governments in the region.
With the elimination of the tariffs and Daniel Noboa’s statements of support, Ecuador has gone from being an outside observer to becoming an unexpected player in Colombia’s presidential campaign, just hours before millions of citizens head to the polls to determine the country’s political future.