In October 2019, the South American country of Ecuador exploded in popular protests. Ecuadorian workers opposed the neoliberal policy of bourgeois president Lenina Moreno.
Moreno’s rule, which began in 2017, generally fit the framework of the “right turn” taking place in Latin America. Moreno put an end to the social-populist policies of his predecessor, Rafael Correa, and began the “austerity regime”, which in practice meant curtailing social support programs for the poor to please the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A turn was made towards world imperialism in foreign policy: Moreno gave the British authorities the journalist Julian Assange, who was hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and supported pro-American rebels in Venezuela.
In early October, following the notorious "austerity regime", Moreno canceled subsidizing fuel prices. This automatically meant an increase in fuel prices and transportation costs and, as a result, a rise in prices for all goods.
Since October 3, protests have swept the country. Citizens came out to the streets of the capital of Quito, and Indians pulled in to support them from rural areas. The henchman of the bourgeoisie Moreno threw police against the demonstrators, and when she did not cope - the troops. Real battles began to boil in the city streets. Both the previously apolitical citizens and various political forces opposed Moreno’s power - from supporters of former President Correa to communists who criticized both Correa and Moreno.
After the protesters seized a number of administrative buildings, President Moreno fled from the capital to the city of Guayaquil. Already there, he announced the annulment of his anti-people decree on the abolition of fuel subsidies.
The news of this part of the protesters was perceived as a victory. The more far-sighted understand that this is only a temporary maneuver of the bourgeoisie, and the attack on the rights of workers will continue. By the time of this “maneuver” as a result of the clashes, it was already known about 10 killed during the clashes, about 2 thousand people were injured, about a thousand people were thrown into police dungeons, and more than a hundred people were reported missing. The bourgeoisie is trying to buy a temporary "reassurance" in order to then rob the working people again and try to crush their political organizations.
The fight will continue.
- publication in the newspaper of the Communist Marxist-Leninist Party of Ecuador (Partido Comunista Marxista-Leninista del Ecuador, PCMLE)
“The state of emergency, the brutal repression carried out using violent methods, the presence of the army on the streets and highways did not stop the protest.
A social explosion occurred in the country. The response to the economic package adopted by the government caused a massive and military mobilization of the population throughout the country, which formed a popular uprising. The “silent discontent”, suppressed over the years by the violence unleashed during the Correa regime, has been overcome, and today our people again rely on open struggle, street fighting, as a way to make our voices heard, to meet face to face with the government and those who supports the neoliberal policy dictated by agreement with the IMF, including the long-standing demand for the abolition of fuel subsidies, despite popular disagreement.
The government and the businessmen around it underestimated the reaction of the people, and now they must face a wave of protests, one of the main points of which is a national strike on October 9. But the struggle does not end there, it will continue in the coming days.
The state of emergency, the brutal repression carried out using violent methods learned during the time of “Correism”, the presence of the army on the streets and roads - all this did not stop the protest, which showed the scale and courage of the rebels. In addition, in many places the security forces were cornered, detained by villagers, and in some places the army chose to leave. The plan of the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Defense failed. The masses tore him up.
The intention of the “Correists" to present themselves as the main opposition to the government also fails. The majority of the population indicates that they are jointly responsible for the crisis in the country and the sacking of millions of dollars that must be returned by the state. The slogan that is heard on the streets: neither Correa, nor Moreno, only the people save themselves! It marks a popular struggle for political independence before these factions of the servants of the bourgeoisie.
The strength of this struggle lies in unity, in the joint struggle of the trade union movement, the indigenous population, students, teachers, women ... People rallied! This is his life force. ”
Artyom Petrov
