Militarize prisons, ports and customs, reinforce security in schools in the face of growing violence and a popular consultation in Ecuador. These were the proposals they raised this Sunday the presidential candidates Luisa González and Daniel Noboa, in the only presidential debate ahead of the second round that will take place on October 15.
The candidates, who have reported threats against them, attended the meeting amid a strong security operation and wearing bulletproof vests, which were removed during the debate.
The presidential campaign in Ecuador, a country plagued in recent years by drug trafficking and criminal gangs, was tarnished after the shooting of centrist candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 9.
In the debate, González, close to former leftist president Rafael Correa (2007-2017), mentioned his “Resurge” plan and indicated that it will invest 500 million dollars to equip the Police.
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In addition, he assured that he will regain “control of the country” and of the prisons, where in recent years more than 400 inmates have been murdered in massacres due to clashes between criminal gangs. “I will militarize prisons, customs, and ports to regain control of the country,” said the candidate.
The candidate pointed to international cooperation, especially with the United States and the European Union (EU), and coordinated work with all State institutions to counteract impunity.
But in addition to organized crime, González referred to common crime linked to issues of poverty, which is why he insisted on the importance of generating employment.
For his part, Former deputy Noboa, son of one of the richest men in Ecuador, pointed out the need to militarize the borders and create barge prisons to isolate the most violent inmates.
Since February 2021, Ecuadorian penitentiaries have been the scene of massacres that left more than 430 prisoners dead, dozens of them dismembered and incinerated.
To complement your plan to combat crime, Noboa raised a popular consultation that will include a question about the implementation of a jury system to solve cases of corruption and organized crime.
In addition, he offered to establish a national intelligence agency, which would report to the head of state.
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The economic proposals of the candidates
In economic matters, González said that he will inject into the economy 2.5 billion dollars of international reserves that are in Switzerland, to offer productive loans with low interest rates, among others.
For his part, Noboa commented that bringing money from the reserve would be his “plan Z, the last option” in case of serious problems for the economy, such as the effects of the El Niño climate phenomenon, which is expected to arrive at the end of the year. .
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And he insisted that he will focus on generating employment, with an emphasis on opportunities for young people, and insisted on tax incentives for companies that accept this measure.
To face the possible effects of El Niño, González reiterated that he will reestablish credit lines, refinance debts and forgive those who need it. In addition, he will declare the road system an emergency and will resort to financing from multilaterals, such as the World Bank.
Other topics of the debate between González and Noboa
During the two hours of the debate, Noboa and González interspersed darts in the middle of their explanations about their plans if they became President.
Noboa, for example, was insistent in criticizing the drug consumption table established during the Correa Government, and blamed this measure for cases of drug addiction in minors and the repercussions for their development.
Likewise, he referred to his plan to refine oil in Ecuador in refineries “that already exist” and are not “invisible”, alluding to the Pacific Refinery project, which was one of the most notable projects of Correismo and which remained unfinished. .
The businessman, son of the five-time presidential candidate Álvaro Noboa and heir to one of the richest families in the country thanks to his banana emporium, said that on the extensive land that was flattened for that refinery with a million-dollar investment, he would build a housing plan .
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González, for his part, blamed Noboa for adopting speeches from politicians such as those of Lasso and his predecessor Lenín Morenoand reminded him that last year he traveled to Russia to propose forms of payment other than the dollar, and asked him if that was not also a way to de-dollarize the economy.
Both candidates have insisted that they will maintain dollarization, in force in Ecuador since 2000.
The Correismo candidate also questioned her rival’s past within the Noboa business group of former Minister Bernardo Manzano, to whom a police officer has recently linked him to an investigation against an alleged drug trafficking network that involved someone close to the Government.
The new president will complete the current four-year term (until May 2025) after the right-wing ruler Guillermo Lasso dissolved the opposition-majority Congress in May as a way out of a serious political crisis, which gave way to early general elections.
*With EFE
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