What angered the indigenous people in Ecuador and why is this not just any crisis for Guillermo Lasso?

It has not been an easy month for the president of Ecuador. To the investigations against Guillermo Lasso by the Pandora Papers and an increase in drug trafficking violence that led his government to order a state of exception, there has been a strike promoted by indigenous movements in rejection of the rise in fuel prices and their economic policies. The protests, which lasted two days yesterday and which were joined by students and workers, are the largest in the five months that the president has been in office.

READ ALSO: Ecuador: indigenous people block roads on second day of protests against economic policy

“Second day of mobilization and resistance to the economic crisis aggravated by the rise in fuels and the measures imposed by the National Government”, He wrote in Twitter the powerful and opposition Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), which has promised to continue with the protest until the government satisfies a list of seven demands.

During the mobilizations, indigenous people and peasants have blocked routes in at least nine of the 24 provinces of the country, while natives, workers, teachers and students have marched in Quito, where clashes with the police were recorded in the center of the city.

READ ALSO: Protests in Ecuador: violence in Quito marks the day of demonstrations against President Lasso | PHOTOS

Indigenous and social movements reject the economic reforms that the government intends to carry out and the progressive increase in fuel prices in recent months.

Lasso decreed increases of up to 12% in fuels last weekend, with which the price of diesel rose from 1.69 to 1.90 dollars and regular gasoline from 2.50 to 2.55 dollars. Although it froze the new prices without specifying for how long, those increases unleashed rejection.

Sebastián Mantilla, an Ecuadorian political scientist and director of the Latin American Center for Political Studies (Celaep), points out that although the indigenous strike complicates Lasso, the situation is still manageable for the regime.

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The tax and fiscal reforms that President Guillermo Lasso intends to carry out, the progressive increase in the price of fuel and the appearance of the president’s name in the Pandora Papers are the gasoline of the protests called in Ecuador. (Photo: EFE / José Jácome) (José Jácome /)

“I would say that the president now has control of the country, but when they are protests promoted by indigenous sectors, they always take time to gain strength and impact. The situation may get complicated in the course of the next few days if they do not sit down to talk about one of the orders that these sectors are already making, which is to return to the previous price of fuel“, he says Trade.

For César Ricaurte, Ecuadorian journalist and director of Fundamedios, so far this is a strike “quite light”, Since the strength of the indigenous movement in Ecuador has not yet been shown.

READ ALSO: The Indigenous Movement of Ecuador ratifies mobilization against Guillermo Lasso

“This strike is a measure of forces made by the opposition, especially concentrated in the indigenous movement and the social and union movements, etc. The strike for now has not been too critical for the government, there have been no stoppages in key sectors. It has not been anywhere near something equivalent to the indigenous strike of October 2019, where there was a complete paralysis of the country and very violent incidents”, Says the expert.

However, he adds that although this is a strike of targeted sectors that does not mean that the government is the winner. “It would be a mistake to interpret this as a weakness of the indigenous movement or of the social sectors. It would be a miscalculation for the government to be the winner in this measurement of forces. I believe that politically the government has to assimilate the message, take note and try to resume negotiations”.

Along these lines, Mantilla points out that this crisis has been caused “for Lasso’s weakness and lack of experience and for not having adequate political operators on the part of his government who could avoid the protest”. “This paralysis could have been avoided if the framework for dialogue and negotiation with different sectors had been properly established ”.

READ ALSO: Ecuador: a journalist dies in an accident while covering indigenous protests

Indigenous people light barricades on a road in Pujilí, Cotopaxi province. (Photo: EFE) (José Jácome /)

Indigenous claims

Basically, the indigenous movement demands the freezing of the fuel rise and a series of social measures. Ricaurte explains that the government had already announced the freeze on fuel prices, but what bothered the indigenous movement is that prior to the announcement of the freeze there was a new increase. “In other words, it increased prices and then froze them, which was taken as a mockery by the indigenous movement”, He says.

“The problem is that Lasso wants to invite dialogue not to listen, but so that through this dialogue the issues that interest the government are legitimized and approved. So the one who has the main responsibility for what is happening is the mismanagement of the crisis on the part of President Lasso.”, Considers Mantilla.

Ricaurte asks not to forget that the indigenous movement is very strong in Ecuador and that Conaie, which participated in social unrest that overthrew three presidents between 1997 and 2005, does not function as a traditional political movement, but rather has strong grassroots structures.

READ ALSO: Yaku Pérez, a former candidate in Ecuador, says he has documents that compromise Guillermo Lasso

Guillermo Lasso assumed the presidency at the end of May of this year. (Photo: / AFP) (CRISTINA VEGA RHOR /)

“If the grassroots groups that work in indigenous communities really push the mobilization, that will mean that this mobilization can have a huge impact and even overthrow presidents. But of course not by itself, in the overthrows of previous governments in which it participated there were alliances between various sectors”, It indicates.

“The muscle of the Conaie is not being shown in the current mobilizations, it is rather something motivated by the leadership in alliance with the traditional union sectors”He adds.

In tune with this, Mantilla warns that, “when there are stoppages of the indigenous sector, they are stoppages that can lead to instability and the fall of presidents”.

READ ALSO: Drug trafficking, crime and protests over the crisis: How Ecuador looks back into the abyss

He also asks to consider that beyond the demands of the social sectors, the leader of Conaie, Leonidas Iza, has connections and ties with correísmo.

“I would say that the indigenous leadership is divided between correistas and non-correistas and currently the leadership of Conaie has links with correísmo. It is not surprising that behind these protests there is also a certain political agenda linked to Correismo and an intention to destabilize the democratic regime.”, He points out.

Panorama with obstacles

However, it is clear that the handling of unemployment represents a political challenge for Lasso. Analysts ask not to forget that the head of state faces adverse forces in the National Assembly (Parliament), where Correísmo and Pachakuti, the political arm of the indigenous movement, make up a majority between the two capable of complicating his management.

Ricaurte points out that there is an investigative commission in Parliament that could recommend the impeachment of the president for the Pandora Papers, which is why “the political scenario is very complex for the government, it is full of obstacles.”

For his part, Mantilla considers that if the president loses legitimacy with the increase in fuel and a possible tax reform and protests are generated and intensified “This could serve as political support so that the President is removed from office by the Assembly”.

“I would say that the president has made several political mistakes and that he is now going through a complicated situation due to the mishandling of the crisis”Adds the expert.

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