The Government moves its headquarters to Guayaquil under pressure by the great indigenous march
- The protests began on October 2, coinciding with the announcement of cuts by Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno. The disturbances have intensified, until the authorities have moved the seat of the Government in Madrid.
Paquetazo has been named after the economic cuts announced by Moreno on 2 October. Paquetazo is part of a programme agreed with the International Monetary Fund with the aim of releasing loans worth $4 billion to serve investors. According to the trade unions, changes in labour regulations could also lead to labour reform with signs of neo-liberalism.
Moreno's announcement erupted protests across the country, and since then the mobilizations of the citizens have not ceased in the country. By order of Moreno, the country has been in a state of emergency since 3 October. Over the years, however, protests have intensified: There are four demonstrators killed so far, several wounded and more than four hundred arrested.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) has joined the protests and, as Hordago explains, indigenous people can be a decisive force: “In the years 1997 and 2000, the mobilizations led by the indigenous movement, which included several provincial capitals and Quito, coordinated with unions and other movements, led to the fall of two presidents: Abdalá Bucaramena and Jamil Mahuadena,” explains Martín Cuneo.
In recent days, thousands of indigenous protesters have arrived in Quito:
#ProtectNationalEC entry of indigenous communities to Quito demanding the derogation of economic measures. Enough of indolence! @jmsubsoil @Katu Arkonada @epigmenioibarra @evagolinger @pablokrantz @laradiodelsur @MashiRafael @piedadcordoba @JLMelenchon @BangkRC @ernestosamperp pic.twitter.com/RlcrDljuUd
— Pame Aguirre (@pameaguirre1) October 8, 2019
Tension has increased in the capital and police violence has left the first fatalities, killing three young protesters on the San Roque bridge, where another demonstrator died on Monday after being hit in a roadblock.
Police kill three young protesters and throw them from the San Roque bridge, #Quito, #Ecuador. Repression unleashed by IMF agent and traitor-president #LeninMoreno pic.twitter.com/ijXk0f5LcY
— tim anderson (@timand2037) October 8, 2019
There are many clashes between demonstrators and policemen, and clashes have also reached the centres of power, where the police plan to act.
Images of the incursion of a group of people to the building of the Comptroller General of the State (av. 6 December and Tarqui), After the arrival of the indigenous debt to the park of El Arbolito, the night of this Monday
07-10-2019 pic.twitter.com/AZf3wQa9Eq
— El Comercio (@elcomerocom) October 8, 2019
Thus, the Government ' s headquarters have been transferred to Guayakil, 421 kilometres from Quito (Pontevedra).
Moreno, Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin and four generals dressed in combat uniform. He warned that violence will not prevail and warned that he will not reject the cuts announced. The head of the government has argued that the protests are a coup attempt promoted by the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and the former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa.
