Sunday, June 26, 2022

Ecuadorian government lifts state of emergency after talks with indigenous leaders

NEWS WIRES

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Saturday lifted a state of emergency he'd imposed in six provinces amid an Indigenous-led strike, a surprise move that came as lawmakers in the National Assembly heard an opposition petition to remove him from office.

© REUTERS - KAREN TORO

The decision to end the state of emergency followed an initial meeting between government officials and Ecuador's largest Indigenous organization, which began the strike two weeks ago to demand gasoline prices be cut, price controls be imposed on agricultural products and a larger budget be set for education. Lasso had accused the Indigenous leader heading the at-times violent strike of seeking to stage a coup.

After Saturday's meeting, National Assembly President Virgilio Saquicela said a commission would be formed to facilitate dialogue to end the strike. "The national government ratifies the willingness to guarantee the creation of spaces for peace, in which Ecuadorians can gradually resume their activities,” said a statement announcing the decree to end the state of emergency.

The meeting was held in the Basilica church in the colonial center of Quito and was attended by the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Leonidas Iza, other social leaders, Government Minister Francisco Jiménez and Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín, among others. “There has been no commitment, but simply a decision by the (Indigenous confederation) ... to consult its bases on the designation of a commission to start this dialogue,” Saquicela said, adding that “the government has made the corresponding opening.”

Video: Ecuador indigenous protests carry on despite small concession (France 24)

Iza said the strike would not be ended until their demands had been met. "Instead of making us more afraid, they have raised our rebellion, dignity,” he said. Iza said strikers will rest for the weekend and asked that corridors be opened in the interprovincial border areas to allow food to pass through and supply Quito, which faces the shortage of farm products.

Meanwhile, in a virtual legislative session the opposition Union for Hope party, which is linked to former President Rafael Correa, requested the removal of Lasso. The request was based on the state of emergency declared over “grave internal commotions,” which now has been lifted. It would take the votes of at least 92 lawmakers to remove Lasso, while the Union for Hope has only 47 seats.

On Thursday, the Indigenous confederation said a demonstrator died of pellet wounds in the chest and abdomen while protesting near the National Assembly in Quito, where about 100 other people suffered a variety of injuries. Police tweeted that officers were also injured by pellets.

In Quito, protesters blocking roads have brought the city to a near halt and people are experiencing food and fuel shortages. Groups of protesters have roamed the city attacking vehicles and civilians and forcing the closure of businesses, some of which were looted.

(AP)



Ecuador president faces ouster vote as fuel price protests enter 13th day


Lina VANEGAS
Sat, June 25, 2022,


Ecuador's president faced a no-confidence hearing Saturday, nearly two weeks into sometimes violent countrywide protests led by Indigenous groups against rising fuel prices and living costs.

Opposition lawmakers called the parliamentary session over what they say is President Guillermo Lasso's role in "the serious political crisis and internal commotion" that has left six civilians dead and dozens injured on both sides in 13 days of revolt.

An estimated 14,000 protesters are taking part in a nationwide show of discontent against rising hardship in an economy dealt a serious blow by the coronavirus pandemic.



Most of the ire is concentrated in the capital Quito, where some 10,000 people, most from other parts of the country, have gathered for daily protests, marching with sticks and makeshift shields, and chanting "Out Lasso, out!"

On Friday, Lasso accused demonstrators of attempting "a coup" after two straight days of violent clashes with police and soldiers.

Protesters in Quito threw rocks and Molotov cocktails and shot off fireworks near the congress building. The security forces repelled them with tear gas.

- 'Until we have results' -


The protests were called by the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), credited with bringing down three presidents between 1997 and 2005.

Conaie leader Leonidas Iza told AFP this week demonstrations would continue "until we have results. We can no longer hold back the anger of the people."



The action has been costly, with losses of some $50 million per day to the economy as protesters have blocked key roads with burning tires and tree branches.

Production of fuel -- Ecuador's biggest export -- has been halved, according to the energy ministry.

"Basic necessities are very expensive and our products from the field... are worth nothing," potato farmer Miguel Taday, 39, told AFP of his reason for joining the demonstrations.

Six of the country's 24 provinces are under a state of emergency and a night-time curfew is in place in Quito, where many business owners and workers in the capital are fed up with the disruption to their lives and livelihoods.

Protesters are demanding a cut in already subsidized fuel prices, which have risen sharply in recent months, as well as jobs, food price controls, and more public spending on healthcare and education.

Ecuador's National Assembly will meet from 6:00 pm (2300 GMT) on Saturday to vote on whether or not to oust Lasso, a conservative ex-banke
r who took power a year ago and who is self-isolating after a Covid-19 diagnosis.



The debate, during which Lasso will be given a chance to state his case, takes place at the request of the 47 lawmakers of the leftist opposition Union for Hope coalition.

Lasso's dismissal would require 92 votes out of 137 in the assembly, in which opposition parties are in the majority.

Once the debate is concluded, lawmakers will have 72 hours to decide on a course of action.

If they vote to unseat Lasso, Vice President Alfredo Borrero will assume interim power and call new presidential and legislative elections.

The government has rejected the protesters' demand for a fuel price cut, saying it would cost an unaffordable $1 billion per year.

The International Monetary Fund on Friday approved the release of $1 billion in funding for Ecuador following two reviews of a $6.5 billion loan deal, of which $4.8 has been disbursed so far.

The payment is meant to bolster Ecuador's economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, restore fiscal sustainability and reduce public debt.



Austerity measures adopted by then-president Lenin Moreno led to a wave of demonstrations in 2019 that left 11 dead and thousands injured, but compelled the government to cancel plans to cut fuel price subsidies.

No negotiations have been programmed to try and bring an end to the latest standoff, in which both sides accuse each other of intransigence.

"We will continue to fight... The rank and file have said that we will not return without results," said Wilmer Umajinga, 35, protesting in Quito since Monday.

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