Ecuador, between popular discontent and social outbursts

They assure that in Ecuador the closest point to the sky is the (Chimborazo volcano), when measured from the center of the Earth and not from sea level. In this soil, moreover, you can stay at point 0 between the northern and southern hemisphere, where the influx of energy is more powerful than anywhere on the globe. And for those planetary wonders, throughout the year the sun rises at 6 and sets at 18. But all of this is alone poetic symbology, which contrasts with a collapsing country and with an indignant population.

The name Ecuador comes from the Latin “aequatar” (to equate), something that has no correlation with its socio-political future. Another caustic paradox for a country that drag inequality from its beginnings: first it was conquered by the Incas, then by the Spaniards, then by the landowners and finally by the military.

When Ecuador was able to break away from the coups and return to democracy, it entered a political morass that continues today, with circumstantial ups and downs.

It has an anchor in the economy: the dollar as the national currency. It was dollarized in 2000, in the worst financial crisis in its history. And this has provided macroeconomic stability while liquefying income. The population has taken some time to adapt, but they don’t want to leave this system anymore. More than 80% say they are satisfied.

It is surprising that an Argentine buys bananas for a couple of dollars or takes a taxi and pays for it with 10 dollars, without speaking a word of English. And you get the “now I’ll give you the change”.

In Ecuador, life is cheap. A bag of six tomatoes is available for one dollar. The same price for 15 bananas. You can eat at the stalls for 3, 5 or 7 dollars. In average restaurants it gets to $ 10 or $ 15, in luxury restaurants $ 25 or $ 30.

But incomes are also extremely low at the popular level. The average salary is $ 420, although obviously not everyone earns that amount. And the basic basket is above, at $ 500. Few in this Ecuador touch the sky with their hands, despite their height.

For many, this stability has been a balm. However, it does not stop responding to its structural problems. It depends on the constant arrival of dollars which, for the most part, come from oil and mines.

For the past two or three years this stability was also altered with gradual inflationwhich until now had been avoided by dollarization.

“There is a very important percentage of the population that suffers from exclusion and neglect. And this is nothing new, it is a structural problem in Ecuador. There is a significant excluded social sector, particularly the peasantry, made up mostly of indigenous sectors. There is an absence of education, of development plans. And this turns into social discontent, in a pressure cooker that occasionally explodes”, Stresses the political scientist María Paz Jervis.

The outbreak, on this occasion, came from the hand of the indigenous communities and from a strike of just over two weeks that shook the main cities of the country. Agricultural products and fuel did not arrive due to severe roadblocks and the threat of violence from protesters. Total losses have reached one billion dollars, a dramatic figure for a country in crisis.

People don’t just blame the natives, He also blames the government of Guillermo Lasso, which was unable to resolve the conflict in time.. its popularity it dropped to 30% before this crisisand analysts believe it has declined even more with this situation.

Lasso had settled in well when he took office a year ago, thanks to his adequate reaction to the pandemic. He had promised to vaccinate nine million people in the first hundred days and he more than delivered. 14 million vaccinated, which allowed to reactivate the economy.

But he failed to capitalize on that result. He has clashed with political allies and opponentshe was proud of it, he began to govern by decree and apply an advocacy system. He has not kept his promise to break with the political polarization that is going through the country and, more seriously, to improve the economy.

After taking office, he said he would create jobs, which seemed alluring to a greedy population. Today, the formal employment rate is only 32.9%. The rest, 67%, live from informal work or are unemployed.

For this reason, what is criticized the most on the street is the ineffectiveness of the government. “In this year of government he did nothing, absolutely nothing”repeat taxi drivers, traders, students and, of course, farmers.

In this sentence Rafael Correa’s “political ghost” has reappeared. His sector was the one that sparked the protests and scaled indigenous claims to demand Lasso’s dismissal. The former president, who cannot enter Ecuador after being convicted of corruption, remains a current figure.

People recognize the results of their mandates, especially the first two. He implemented health insurance for a population that had no treatment. Now a person pays $ 75 a month to the system – mixed, state and private – and can be assisted. Also improvements in infrastructure and education.

Although there is strong rejection even in the medium sectors. He is accused of corruptionthe insistence to deepen the social crack, always blaming others for what he could not achieve, the authoritarianism he has shown in recent years and the dominance of all the powers of the state.

Indeed, Lasso did not win for his personal skills but for the vote against Correismo. “He (for Correa) has capitalized on the cracks that exist in society. People love him and hate him in equal measure, ”Jervis says.

“Cool brother”, the taxi driver tells me, “this is Latin America”. “And how is Argentina doing?” he asks sarcastically. He was left without a tip.