Ecuador's government tries to silence opposition.
| Autor | Saavedra, Luis Angel |
Experiencing a decline in its approval ratings, the Ecuadoran government is trying to silence opposition voices, both by using the judicial system to harass political opponents and by allowing government supporters to physically assault those who question official policy. A case in point is what happened to Deputy Lourdes Tiban, an indigenous representative who was attacked near the National Assembly and has been subject to various other instances of harassment.
The popularity of President Rafael Correa has dropped in each of the past two years. According to the polling firm Cedatos, he began 2016 with a 41% approval rating for his administration and a 35% credibility rating. The president himself has had to acknowledge his popularity has dropped, despite his claim that he has a 58% approval rating, which he supports with a poll taken by Opinion Publica Ecuador, a firm close to government leadership (NotiSur, Aug. 21, 2015).
Whatever the true figure, for the first time, Correa's popularity is in free fall. To this, add the fact that his political movement, Alianza Pais, no longer enjoys a preferential electoral index guaranteeing its continuity in power. According to Cedatos, 58% of the country's population said they did not want Correa's re-election and only 30% said they would be inclined to vote for a candidate from the ruling party, such as the current vice president, Jorge Glas. According to the Cedatos poll, 32% favor the candidate on the right, banker Guillermo Lasso, while on the left, there's no sign of a strong candidate able to compete in the presidential elections set for the last quarter of 2017.
Persecution of indigenous authorities
As his popularity drops, Correa has intensified his attack on the opposition, calling it a beneficiary of the past. He does not differentiate between his political opponents on the left, which include the indigenous movement, and those on the right, who defend the interests of the oligarchy.
As his popularity drops, Correa has intensified his attack on the opposition, calling it a beneficiary of the past. He does not differentiate between his political opponents on the left, which include the indigenous movement, and those on the right, who defend the interests of the oligarchy.
Without a doubt, indigenous sectors have been attacked most. Week after week, Correa insults indigenous leaders during his so-called "Saturday chat," a radio and television space in which, more than updating the public on...
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