Guillermo Lasso extends the state of emergency 4:08
(CNN Spanish) --
Nine days after the start of the demonstrations, and after President Guillermo Lasso extended the state of emergency, Ecuador's Defense Minister, Luis Lara Jaramillo, warned that the Armed Forces "view with great concern the manipulation of social protest", and affirmed that the demonstrations are "a deliberate attempt to use armed violence to attack democracy".
“These actions coincide with the brutal attack that the country has been suffering from drug traffickers and organized crime.
These actions go beyond citizen protest, it is a deliberate attempt to use armed violence to attack democracy, threaten institutions…”, Lara Jaramillo assured this Tuesday in statements to the media.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which has been leading the national mobilization since June 13 in some provinces, demands that the government reduce fuel prices, address the problem of unemployment, regulate the prices of farm products and fight crime, among other demands.
Guillermo Lasso extends state of emergency in Ecuador
The Minister of Defense warned this Tuesday that "the Armed Forces will not allow attempts to break the constitutional order or any action against democracy and the laws of the Republic," and said that "actions of social protest are legitimate as long as do not violate the guarantees and rights of the majority of citizens”.
"The excuse that others are violent is no longer appropriate if people infiltrate each social protest and destroy public and private property, cause injuries, set fire to patrol cars, attack journalists, extort money from companies and citizens, it is evident that they act with consent of those who organize the mobilizations. I am going to be frontal: this violent and criminal activity does not help social demands," warned Lara Jaramillo.
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Faced with this situation, President Lasso extended the state of emergency to several provinces of the country in which the largest number of protests are registered on Monday night.
The president included the provinces of Cotopaxi, Pichincha, Imbabura, Chimborazo, Pastaza and Tungurahua in the new state of emergency decree due to “serious internal commotion”.
A group of students removes the protection fences of the Central University of Ecuador, so that indigenous people who arrive in Quito can use it as accommodation, on June 20, as part of the protests led by indigenous people against the government of President Guillermo Lasso that started a week ago.
(Photo by VERONICA LOMBEIDA/AFP via Getty Images)
The objective, according to the statement issued by the Ministry of Communication, is to protect the well-being of citizens against the violent acts that have been escalating in eight days of the mobilization promoted by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities and other social sectors.
Lasso talks about the protests and says they want to overthrow him
On his Twitter account, President Guillermo Lasso, through a video, responded that he will not allow disorder in the protests and targeted those who, according to him, want to remove him from power.
"They seek chaos, they want to throw out the president, I am here, I am not going to escape," he said in a video he posted on that social network.
I am here to protect the citizens.
I will always fight to defend democracy and the will of the Ecuadorian people.
I will not allow chaos to prevail.
pic.twitter.com/ZJUspYuVMP
– Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) June 20, 2022
Florencia Trucco contributed to this report.
EcuadorGuillermo Lasso