Assange Congratulates Ecuador's Lenin, Taunts Defeated Banker

As news surfaced of Lenin Moreno’s victory over neoliberal banker Guillermo Lasso for the Ecuadorean presidency, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange took to Twitter to congratulate Lenin on his victory Sunday night and cheekily invited Lasso to taste some of his own medicine.

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Since 2012, the founder of the whistleblowing organization has been holed up in Ecuador’s London embassy where he has been given political asylum by the Ecuadorean government. Sunday’s election was seen as a watershed moment for Assange’s future.

“I cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days (with or without his tax haven millions),” Assange tweeted Sunday night as the final election results rolled in, giving Lenin a clear victory. Assange's tweet included a caption of Lasso’s plan to strip him of asylum.

Earlier this month, Lasso vowed that if he was to win the election, he would strip Assange of asylum and would “cordially” ask him to leave within 30 days, arguing that his ongoing stay at the embassy is “no longer longer necessary” and was a waste of money.

I cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days (with or without his tax haven millions) https://t.co/8tORJgltQl #AssangeSILassoNO pic.twitter.com/Pbf5Bf3UrL

— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) April 3, 2017

“The Ecuadorean people have been paying a cost that we should not have to bear,” Lasso said during an interview in Quito.

Lasso, a millionaire banker has 49 offshore business, according to documents released by WikiLeaks. For many Ecuadoreans, Lasso is also known for playing a large role in causing and even profiting from the country’s banking crisis which started in 1999 and resulted in some 2 million people fleeing the country due to economic ruin.

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Outgoing President Rafael Correa granted Assange asylum over concerns of political persecution and his potential extradition to the United States, where he could face decades in jail for WikiLeaks' publication of 500,000 secret military files related to U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Incoming President Lenin Moreno has previously stated that he would uphold Assange's current asylum status.

With 98.45 percent of the official vote counted, Lenin beat Lasso with 51.14 percent to 48.86 percent, according to results issued by the country’s National Electoral Council on Monday morning.

Assange tweeted a congratulation to Lenin, incoming Vice President Jorge Glass, Correa and other key members of the current government who have supported his asylum including Foreign Minister Guillaume Long and Defense Minister Ricardo Patiño.