Ecuador He is defending himself to go to the polls. That’s only because thousands of uniformed officers and government officials this Sunday. security nail presidential election not only because of their expected nature, but also because violence At the hands of drug traffickers, he took the life of one of the candidates, Fernando Villavicencio. Political crime created the conditions for fear to escalate. And the market had the opportunity to work on it. fear. It exploded on the eve of the competition bulletproof vest and helmet sales business. according to the newspaper Universethese modern armors “Work clothes“Not just your opponents in the elections, but anyone with enough resources to minimize the risks on the street.
equator a country that does not have its own currency. manages dollar about a quarter of a century ago. Products from the United States fill the shelves and specialty stores. A gunshot-absorbing undershirt costs $1,000.. A helmet costs $600. A quality vest is much more expensive. Located on Avenida de las Américas in Guayaquil, one of the cities most affected by insecurity, the Police Tactical Equipment store showcases models even if they are made for women’s bodies. For about $1,600, consumers go home wrapped in shockproof fiber. They were generally not threatened. As some buyers explain, what they are afraid of UniverseOne “lost lead“Let coincidences find them at the wrong time, in the wrong place and open the door to a deadly fate. That’s why they don’t hesitate to carry two more kilos on their backs.
The election campaign presented threats until the last day of religious propaganda activities. In the city of Duran, near Guayaquil, the candidate Daniel NoboaBusinessman son Álvaro Noboa, a five-time presidential candidate for Conservatism, said he heard the buzz of bullets as he led a caravan as he made his last attempt to improve his lousy position in the region. surveys. , which heads Correista Luisa Gonzalez. Thank God we escaped unhurt,” he said. President Guillermo Lasso’s government questioned his version of events and left the suspicion of an act of manipulating the emotions of the voters open. The same cannot be said for the fate of two people who were found handcuffed and lifeless at the same time in another part of the Playas canton of Guayaquil. : signature drug trafficking.
escalation of violence
From the moment Lasso decided to anticipate the elections, a series of political assassinations accelerated, thus avoiding a disaster. motion of reprimand by Congress investigating him for alleged acts corruption. The Villavicencio case is observed as follows: point of no return for several reasons: Gangs linked to Mexican drug cartels first showed their claws in Quito. They also revealed how much the underworld penetrated the heart of the State.
Former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa (2007-2017) says he has no doubt that the attack was a conspiracy by the right and parts of the security forces to block González’s victory. “Only a political hekatomb could have prevented our victory. and that carnage was the brutal murder of a staunch adversary who was ranked fourth or fifth (in the polls). He served them more dead than alive.” Beyond Correa’s hypothesis, a serious security issue after Villavicencio’s death dominated the debates and positions of all candidates enough to strengthen a hitherto Marginal character like Jan Topic. The businessman is a former member of the French Foreign Legion. He asserted his member status to present himself as the “Ecuadorian Bukele” capable of twisting the arm of crime.
“The assassination led the country to resize the actions of the drug trafficking mafia.“The links between the drug trade and the interests of the local mafia and their territory in the political media,” said Capital Daily columnist Rodrigo Albuja Chaves. Trade. He assured that the state was “institutionally destroyed”. In the face of this diagnosis, “national unity is necessary” because “beyond the political positions, we must begin to rebuild the fundamental elements of the institutional framework that have been dismantled since previous and current governments.”
Lasso’s debts
The lasso is an invisible figure in this context. Consulting Perfiles de Opinion found 81.61% rejection of management. This is one of the reasons why he did not run and his party Creo did not nominate a candidate for the Assembly. The former banker, who took office in 2021 with a dream of giving long-term leadership to the Ecuadorian elite, will leave the Carondelet Palace through the back door.
Before Lasso was forced to predict the elections, besieged by social protests. As part of his predecessor’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Lenin Moreno, The country has promised to reduce its fiscal deficit. The adjustment particularly affected the least favored sectors. At the national level, poverty was determined as 25.2% and extreme poverty at 8.2%. Ecuador has a foreign debt of $48,129 million. Its economy is based on exports. OilShrimp, bananas, canned fish, cocoa, and natural flowers follow, as are being challenged by environmental movements. However, what energizes the domestic market is send remittances from immigrants. Last year it entered a record $4,743.54 million. 70% of this money came from the USA.
The mobilization of the indigenous movement and the unions staggered the former banker. However, the exponential increase in violence in prisons and cities was at the heart of everyday problems. Other emergencies were put on the election agenda, including 27.2% of chronic child malnutrition and 51% of employment informality, making Ecuador the second most affected country in the region. Death swallowed all the arguments.