3 Ecuador opposition lawmakers seek refuge at Mexico embassy

QUITO, Ecuador – Three lawmakers aligned with former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa have taken refuge in the Mexican Embassy in Quito amid the country’s subsiding upheaval.

Opposition legislators Luis Fernando Molina, Soledad Buendía and Carlos Viteri were at the embassy Tuesday, according to Mexico’s government. Efforts to contact the three were unsuccessful.

None of the lawmakers are facing charges, but President Lenín Moreno has accused Correa’s followers of fueling the wave of unrest that paralyzed Ecuador’s economy for nearly two weeks. Moreno put an end to often violent protests by agreeing late Sunday to reinstate generous fuel subsidies.

Correa backed Moreno’s bid for the presidency but the two men have had a bitter falling out.