Ex-Ecuador leader Rafael Correa leaves leftist ruling party

QUITO, Ecuador – Former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is leaving the political party that helped cement his rise to power in the latest squabble with the man he chose to succeed him and continue his "Citizens' Revolution."

Correa announced Tuesday that he is removing himself from Alianza Pais, the leftist movement he founded in 2006. More than two dozen other leaders and lawmakers are also quitting.

The departing faction intends to start a new party called Citizens' Revolution, the phrase Correa often uses to describe his socialist movement aimed at reducing the nation's inequality.

President Lenin Moreno has fallen out of favor with Correa since his election last year. Moreno pushed through a national referendum next month to vote on a measure that would make it impossible for Correa to run for president.