In rare Tweet, Moreno fires back at Correa

After enduring weeks of Twitter attacks from former president Rafael Correa, President Lenin Moreno responded with one of his own Thursday morning. It said, simply: “Síndrome de abstinencia,” (abstinence syndrome), and was accompanied with a graphic describing withdrawal symptoms from “sugar, alcohol, drugs … or power.”

Gabriela Rivadeneira tries to restore peace.

Despite the deft riposte, Correa failed to offer the customary “touché!” One of his supporters reported, in fact, that he was “enraged.”

Asked about it later in the day, Moreno refused to comment on his comment, continuing to host his on-going series of “dialogs” that Correa has criticized. Moreno met with former presidential opponents Paco Moncayo and Cynthia Viteri to discuss new legislation aimed at curbing drug abuse among the young.

Thursday afternoon, several Alianza País (AP) party leaders made efforts to tamp down the growing animosity between the old and new presidents. AP executive secretary Gabriela Rivadeneira emailed a “message of unity” to members, urging them to remain focused on the “larger political project, and to ignore temporary internal disagreements.”

José Serrano, president of the National Assembly, followed up with a Tweet asking the AP faithful to “consolidate energy behind the revolution … and to recall our mandate to the people.”