The situation in Ecuador, where the drug mafia is rampant, is critical, but inspires hope

As is known, the presidential and parliamentary battles are caused by the early resignation of the head of state, banker Guillermo Lasso, who was elected to office on May 21, 2021 on the third attempt. Before reaching the deadline, on May 17, 2023, in an attempt to avoid impeachment, which the National Assembly intended to impose, he dissolved this body and called elections for all the highest authorities.

This politician was in office for half his term and did not intend to enter the race, having become convinced of his inability to cope with economic and social problems in a society where protests had not subsided for a long time.

The extremely tense situation that existed in the country escalated significantly on August 9 last year after the murder of 59-year-old Fernando Villavicencio, a candidate of the “Build” movement, a fighter against crime, in particular against drug trafficking, with the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. This event caused a strong reaction from the world community. The violence gained momentum, and later another opposition leader, Pedro Briones, was eliminated. On July 23, Augustin Intriago, mayor of the municipality of Manta, was killed. Other disasters of this kind also occurred.

Six candidates initially entered the race.

In the first round, held on August 20, lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, nominated by the Civil Revolution, came forward. She had 33.27% of the votes. Businessman Daniel Noboa, a National Democratic Action candidate, received 23.69%.

Three rounds of debate took place between them. Enhanced security measures were taken, participants were provided with bulletproof vests and helmets, and the main highways in the center of the capital were blocked.

137 deputies of the unicameral parliament were elected. 6 seats are reserved for applicants scattered around the world. 2 from Europe, Asia and Oceania, 2 from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, 2 from Canada and the USA. About 140 international observers ensured transparency of the process.

On October 15, the battle ended. The envoy of the younger generation achieved success, winning 52.30% of the votes. The opponent had 47.70%. She admitted defeat. She congratulated her competitor and wished him success in his highest position. On November 23, Daniel Noboa took office as president.

At the very beginning of this year, a seemingly unexpected event happened. Unconsolidated, divided into 20 groups, consisting of 20 thousand members, the drug mafia staged bloody showdowns in overcrowded and poorly guarded prisons. She took several hundred hostages prisoner. She smashed the guards, trying to show who was boss in the house – she or the legitimate government.

Among the daring actions, the attack by heavily armed thugs on a television channel in Guayaquil and the taking of employees hostage, who were released by law enforcement forces a short time later, stood out. This episode was witnessed by an excited society. Later the head of state visited there.

The police are not coping well with the rioters. We had to call on armed units for help to radically solve the problem. And this is fraught with far-reaching consequences for the not yet strong government, which may lose its powers.

The President resolutely stated that the country is in a state of war, and he intends to continue fighting until the victorious end. In an interview with the BBC, he emphasized that the price of the issue is the transformation of the country into a narco-state. “We will fight until this infection is completely eradicated,” he said.

Subsequently, they managed to suppress the rioters in 7 prisons and free over 150 hostages.

The head of state submitted to parliament draft laws aimed at stabilizing the economic situation. Among them, a document aimed at confiscating property acquired by criminal means stands out.

The peculiarity of the current situation is that on the eve of the general elections, society was extremely divided, each of the participants in the competition pulled the blanket over themselves. Now the situation has changed radically. The former irreconcilable competitors rallied and united in defense of the fatherland. It is enough to give such an impressive example. If in the recent past, former head of state Rafael Correa, on the eve of taking office, defeated his rival multimillionaire Alvaro Noboa, the father of the current president, in the second round in 2006, now he strongly supports his son’s efforts to stop the crisis. Ex-President Lenin Moreno, the nominal successor of R. Correa, who changed the political landscape of the republic, does the same. The poor people, who demanded better living conditions, also support the actions of the authorities, because they know that they are not on the same path with the drug mafia.

A similar position is shared by all healthy forces in society, and this is the overwhelming majority of compatriots. This inspires hope that the critical situation will be eliminated in the foreseeable future. It should be noted that the leaders of most Latin American countries strongly support the efforts of the Ecuadorian authorities. They declared their readiness to provide all possible support.

In turn, the American leadership promised to help Ecuador fight organized crime, taking into account that the lion’s share of drugs is sent there. In addition, the head of the Southern Command is planned to visit to familiarize himself with the situation on the spot and identify the required number of weapons.

True, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned the authorities about the need to remain vigilant, given the possible attempts of the Americans to gain a permanent foothold in the country.

The 36-year-old winner of the presidential race, Daniel Noboa, is the youngest head of state in history, not counting the first ruler. Born abroad, he studied and improved in prestigious institutions in the USA. He is married to a charming lady. The couple have two children and are expecting a third child.

He himself belongs to the clan of the richest people. His father, multimillionaire Alvaro, who unsuccessfully stormed the pinnacle of power five times, has a capital of $1 million. In addition to banana cultivation, he controls a number of other industries.

The eldest son shows good qualities as a businessman. The winner’s success came as a surprise to many local and foreign analysts, who underestimated the assertiveness of the young electorate. Doubts remain. The big question remains whether he will be able to cope with the huge pile of problems that have accumulated in the country.

It is enough to provide such data. Poverty in the country of 16 million people exceeded 38%. The budget deficit reached $5 billion, 4% of GDP. The problem is whether to maintain the same relationship with the International Monetary Fund and to what extent, or to emphasize austerity. Since D. Noboa has 17 seats in parliament, he is doomed to establish contacts with the “Civil Revolution”, which controls the majority.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish basic order in prisons where criminal groups carry out bloody showdowns. The candidates spoke about this during the debates. This is exactly where the new government should have started. But she didn’t.

Now, during the 8 days of the conflict, from January 9 to 17, law enforcement forces arrested about 2,000 criminals and seized mountains of weapons.

All this gives reason to hope that Ecuador will cope with the critical situation, as the fight against crime is gaining momentum.