translated from Spanish: Ecuadorian government accused “organized correism” of orchestrating trade union and indigenous protests

The Ecuadorian Government on Monday accused “organized correism”, alluding to supporters of former President Rafael Correa to orchestrate protests starring trade unions and indigenous people against the economic reform of his successor in e L in charge, Lenín Moreno.The Secretary of the Presidency, Juan Sebastián Roldán, has appeared before the press to denounce the soreness that have taken place in the context of the protests. “It is the sole responsibility of political leaders who are warming the situation,” he said, quoted by local newspaper The Universe. In particular, he pointed out “indigenous leaders, who have no control over the situation – over what is happening and what may happen – because “the indigenous movement (always) has manifested itself in peace”. However, the presidential spokesman has also pointed to “infiltrations” in the indigenous movement. “Those who are doing this wanted to take Ecuador to Venezuela. This is organized correism,” he said. Protests against Moreno kicked off the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, which is part of the so-called “pacify, the adjustment plan required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last Thursday. In these days, one person has been killed, 14 injured, including one serious, and 477 have been arrested, most for “vandalism”, because of clashes between protesters and security forces. Moreno declared the state of emergency, which will be in force for 60 days, and has offered dialogue, although it has clarified that economic reform will be maintained, including the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy. The protests, which were initially linked to transport unions, have been joined by collectives. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) has also declared itself in a state of emergency, affecting two provinces, and has undertaken a march to Quito with which it hopes to gather some 20,000 people in the capital on Wednesday.” At CONAIE we have declared ourselves in the indefinite mobilization throughout the territory of Ecuador and at this time our peoples and nationalities are mobilizing, advancing to the city of Quito, in order to reject these economic measures that run an no on Pockets of Ecuadorians,” said the president of the indigenous organization, Jaime Vargas, at a press conference. Both CONAIE and the Unitary Front of Workers (FUT) have ratified on Monday the call for strike and mobilization and have called on Moreno to repeal the executive decree that eliminates public aid for the purchase of fuel as a requirement indispensable to sit at the negotiating table, as reported by ‘El Telegrafo’.DE ALIADOS AENEMIGOSCorrea, who since leaving carondelet Palace in 2017 lives in Belgium with his family, has blamed the current representative for the “moral crisis” that Ecuador would suffer. “Moreno, even more so for his betrayal, was immensely in the term of president,” he wrote on Twitter last Friday.Moreno was Correa’s vice president for most of his ten years of government. He supported him as his political heir, although once the former ‘number two’ ascended the presidency they distanced themselves to recognition as enemies by investigations by the new authorities into the former president’s alleged corrupting and surroundings.

Original source in Spanish