On the occasion of the 200 years of Ecuador’s independence and the first year of his term, Guillermo Lasso offered his first speech to the nation in the midst of a convulsive situation, aggravated by a complex prison crisis. Lasso is also facing the consequences left by the pandemic, mainly in economic matters, as well as a crisis within his own Executive: just a week before completing his first year in office, four of his ministers presented the resignation of him.
Guillermo Lasso took office as president of Ecuador on May 24, 2021, a patriotic date for Ecuadorians, since the country’s independence is celebrated in 1822. And as is tradition, the leaders give their speech to the nation every anniversary in plenary of the National Assembly, in Quito.
This first year of government is hit by a complex situation, with several backdrops: an unprecedented prison crisis for the country, high unemployment, the tail end of the pandemic in the economy and regression in women’s rights issues.
Lasso is a former banker, who became president on his third attempt to reach Carondelet, the house of the Ecuadorian Government. He presented himself as the right-wing alternative to confront Correismo, which at that time was represented by Andrés Arauz, the former presidential candidate for the progressive coalition Unión por la Esperanza (UNES).
Lasso highlighted his economic achievements in his first annual balance
During his appearance in the Ecuadorian Legislative, President Lasso made a balance of the main points of his mandate.
At the economic level, he highlighted a growth of 4.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and indicated that one of his measures has been to advance in new agreements with multilateral organizations such as the IMF.
The Government recently announced that a new technical agreement had been reached with the agency, which could result in a disbursement of 1,000 million dollars. He also highlighted a reduction in extreme poverty from 15.4% to 10% until December 2021, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC).
The president also assured that at least 2 million Ecuadorian families benefit from some type of state aid, and stressed that Ecuador is the country with the second lowest inflation in Latin America, which is evidenced in a recent report by the Fund International Monetary Policy, which ranked Ecuador as the second nation in the region with the lowest year-on-year inflation after Bolivia.
Commitments in terms of social, road and environmental investment
Similarly, in the economic aspect, Lasso assured that there are “500 million in investments committed during this first year of government.” He said that obtaining international aid of 190 million dollars will be allocated to programs for the care of the environment.
The president announced that with the help of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) different infrastructure projects are being prepared, such as a highway to connect the main cities of the country: Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca.
He also offered to fulfill other commitments, including attention to human rights issues or public policies with a gender perspective. For this, 24 million dollars have been allocated for the four years of the Government.
Regarding health, Lasso reported that 3.2 billion dollars were allocated for this purpose during 2022, highlighting that 400 million dollars more were budgeted compared to what was allocated between 2017 and 2020.
The management of the pandemic
The Ecuadorian government’s vaccination plan was one of the most successful in the region. The Government reached until September 1, 2021 to vaccinate 9 million people, a milestone that occurred during the first 100 days of Lasso’s administration.
The Executive thus marked an achievement in the country’s history in the fight against Covid-19. This also made it possible to advance with the vaccination of public teachers and the reopening of schools. Currently, 83% of Ecuadorians over three years of age are vaccinated with doses.
The Government has highlighted this plan, which remains in force, and has been the policy that has received the most recognition not only in the territory but also abroad.
Prison crisis and insecurity
The Lasso government is facing one of the worst prison crises experienced in Ecuador due to the confrontation between criminal gangs, the growth of drug trafficking and the absence of public policies that have pushed the government to the limit. About 380 prisoners have been killed since the prison massacres began. One of the most significant was during the administration of former President Lenín Moreno. The remaining five have occurred during the Lasso Presidency.
To address this crisis, the president has implemented a series of measures, including the decree of a state of emergency in the three most affected provinces: Manabí, Esmeraldas and Guayas, located on the Ecuadorian coast. This measure includes a night curfew and the deployment of 9,000 security units, including police and military, in the area.
Lasso assured that in 2021 more than 1,350 criminal gangs were dismantled as well as more than 7,500 weapons and 231 tons of drugs were seized. He also anticipated that 1,200 million dollars will be invested until 2025 to strengthen the National Police.
Partial veto on abortion
Guillermo Lasso, president of Ecuador, presented in March of this year 61 objections to the bill that decriminalized abortion for all pregnant women in case of rape, made up of 63 articles. The law was passed over his objections:#Let’sTalkAboutAbortion pic.twitter.com/9kWFemRSls
— MutanteOrg (@MutanteOrg) May 21, 2022
Despite the fact that at the beginning of his administration, the conservative Guillermo Lasso said that he would respect the decisions of the highest authorities of Ecuadorian justice, such as the Constitutional Court, which gave the green light to decriminalize abortion for rape in 2021, Lasso did not fulfilled that commitment and partially vetoed the bill sent by the National Assembly, once again generating a regression of rights for women.
Low popularity and internal political crisis
Between May-2021 and May-2022 the president of the 🇪🇨 @LassoGuillermo he has lost 36 points in his positive image.
In parallel, the country’s situation is perceived mainly negatively (83%) and has practically not changed in the last year.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/i4WWgt9QlX
— CIEES (@CIEESec) May 24, 2022
The critical situation faced by Ecuadorians has been translated into the president’s low approval ratings. At the end of his first year in office, in the most recent public opinion poll it has been published that more than half of the population rejects his mandate.
Lasso has had to face criticism from Ecuadorians on issues such as unemployment, higher cost of living, insecurity or lack of medication, among other claims that concern Ecuadorians.
This has been added to a blockade by the National Assembly against his policies, mainly from the progressive sectors of the country, who demand a policy that does not respond to the elites or the bankers.
The Government’s decisions on human rights, security and the economy have also caused several ministers to leave the Executive. A week after completing his first year in office, the portfolios of Defense, Energy and Mines, Agriculture and Human Rights presented their resignations due to differences with the president.
However, from the communication secretariat it was reported that it would have been the leader of the Executive who would have requested their resignations.
The historical debt with CONAIE
In the history of Ecuador, the indigenous movement has had a crucial representation in politics since its foundation in 1986. Since then, indigenous organizations have gone through encounters and disagreements with the last leaders.
Lassos is no exception. Simultaneous to the appearance of the president, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) presented its report to the nation on the occasion of the 200 years of independence of the Andean nation.
The president of the confederation, Leonidas Izas, was forceful in expressing his rejection of Lasso’s neoliberal policy and announced that a national mobilization is being prepared to claim his demands, among which are the improvement of employment, the end of extractivism or the rejection of the persecution of indigenous leaders, among other issues.
Lasso’s challenges
Guillermo Lasso has committed to creating an “Ecuador of opportunities”, where he ensures that foreign investment, support for the private sector and support for the Armed Forces will sustain his project.
Lasso affirms that he is open to dialogue and that he seeks the union of all of Ecuador.
However, criticism of his management is increasing… and seeking solutions to unemployment, security and the economy must be among the priority issues of the Executive to calm the waters in the country.
with local media
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