International
Indigenous candidate Leonidas Iza predicts a new social explosion if there is no change in Ecuador
The presidential candidate of Ecuador for the indigenous movement, Leonidas Iza, who was part of the wave of protests of 2019 and who led that of 2022, reveals himself as an “anti-system” politician in the face of “a corrupt system” that he intends to reformulate to relieve the impoverished, because he predicts a new social explosion if there is no change in the Government to meet popular demands.
Iza, 42, is the candidate of Pachakutik, the political arm of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) that he himself presides over, and with which he was at the forefront of the 2022 wave of protests against the government of conservative President Guillermo Lasso, where he was arrested and even labeled a “terrorist.”
“I am one of those who has never lost the ability to be outraged when governments have had policies against their own citizens,” Iza, a native of the Andean province of Cotopaxi, said in an interview with EFE.
“I am not against the private sector, I am against those who do not pay taxes and those who come to the Government only to defend their companies,” said the candidate in reference to the last two presidents (Lasso and Daniel Noboa).
“We fight for social justice, not to be violent. It is a reaction to the injustice to which we have been subjected,” he said.
For Iza, who represents the anti-extractivist left of Ecuador, the country has “a corrupt system, a health system that does not work, a deficient and unfair economic system, and public services that are not helping citizens.”
“And that’s what we want to change. We won’t be able to do it overnight, but the State can give relief to the people,” the candidate said.
To do this, it proposes to fight against tax evasion, which amounts to about 7.5 billion dollars a year, and also against corruption, which is estimated at about 3 billion dollars per year, to balance public accounts without having to follow the current credit program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that asks to cut public spending and raise taxes.
He also aimed to increase agricultural productivity, as well as boost tourism to go from 1 to 3 million visitors a year, and anticipated that he will regulate small and artisanal mining to avoid illegal mining but will not allow large-scale mining because it considers that it can contaminate the country’s large river basins.
Iza anticipated that he will not pay the external debt as long as there are “guaguas (children, in Kichwa) who have no education and are dying of hunger, and colleagues who are dying for lack of health.”
“We will tell the IMF and the other multilaterals that we are going to pay, but first we are going to solve the structural problem we have at the moment: education, health and minimum conditions for security,” he warned.
In that sense, Iza pointed out that “the strength of a popular reaction in the streets is accumulating” that must be resolved by whoever is elected. “Knowing my country, which has been on the streets all its life, there will be a popular reaction if (the discomfort) is not resolved in the following months,” he reiterated.
“The option that understands the people is us, and not the sectors that have always been in the Government,” said Iza, who avoided pointing out whether that reaction will reach the dimensions of the strong protests of 2019 and 2022, both led by the indigenous movement.
In this electoral campaign, Iza has left his distinctive Andean red poncho to put on the bulletproof vest in the face of the persistent wave of violence of organized crime that the country is experiencing, because he warned that the “war” that Noboa declared to the criminal gangs has not worked because its leaders are still free.
Faced with this, he promised “a hard hand for all” and recalled that “state institutions must suffocate everyone (criminals)”.
The candidate also advocated deepening international cooperation: “there must be a responsibility of all countries (producers, consumers and drug transit), especially in the region (of Latin America)”.
Asked if Ecuadorian society is ready to have an indigenous president of rural origin, Iza sees himself with popular support to face “the most reactionary sectors that have support in racism and stigmatization.”
International
IICA to strengthen prevention efforts against cattle tick disease with $250K investment
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) announced on Friday that it will allocate $250,000 to deepen and strengthen actions for the prevention, control, and eradication of the cattle tick in Central America.
IICA’s Director-General, Manuel Otero, explained that the funds will support the strategy to combat the disease in 2025, focusing on two key areas: strengthening communication campaigns, awareness, and health education; and improving case reporting, notification, and the purchase of sampling kits and authorized healing products to ensure a more effective response in the region.
“It is an endemic disease present across the continent and requires more investment, more surveillance, more training, and more institutional support. It is a very strong enemy that affects the quality of life for our cattle producers and threatens our exports,” Otero said during a meeting with Agriculture Ministers from the region.
The initiative is carried out in collaboration with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and aims to enhance the understanding and knowledge of the disease among various stakeholders.
International
Milei: Social justice promotes hostility, incompatible with progress
President Javier Milei spoke on Friday at the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C., United States. In the first part of his speech, he stated that “social justice is an abomination.” His address, delivered amidst the crypto scandal and titled “The Argentine Economic Model,” came after the libertarian leader visited the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the second time this year, where he met with Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to finalize details of the new program through which the government hopes to accelerate economic recovery and ease currency controls.
Throughout his speech, the president praised his ministers, particularly Economy Minister Luis Caputo and the head of the Ministry of Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, whom he highlighted for his “Chainsaw 2.0” plan, referring to budget cuts within the state. Additionally, Milei forecasted further deregulation and criticized an economic group that “benefited” from the ban on exporting scrap metal.
As he began his address, the President claimed that “he avoided hyperinflation of 17,000% per year” due to the strong fiscal adjustment he implemented at the start of his administration. He highlighted several key indicators of his government’s performance while continuing to praise his ministers. He then turned his attention to the concept of social justice. “Because if the wealth creator is punished and the complainer is given money, the incentive is to complain and not work, which creates an incentive system incompatible with progress,” he argued.
“It has consequences on the quality of life in society, but not due to its economic damage, but because of the relationship between people. Promoting a society of envy makes society hostile, where there is constant conflict over a supposed class struggle because one person generates wealth and it is stolen. It is as if one is living in a permanent war,” he insisted.
International
Trump says Zelensky’s presence in peace talks makes it “difficult” to reach agreements
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Friday that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, “is not that important” to be present in meetings aimed at ending the conflict, arguing that his participation makes it “very difficult to finalize agreements.”
“I don’t think it’s important for him to be in the meetings,” emphasized the magnate during a radio interview with TV host Brian Kilmeade on the Fox News channel, adding that Zelensky had been present in negotiations “for three years” without any results.
The president called last week’s visit by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Kyiv a “waste of time,” as he tried to secure an agreement on the exploitation of Ukraine’s natural resources. Zelensky rejected the offer presented by Bessent, which would have granted the U.S. access to 50% of Ukraine’s strategic minerals in exchange for American support during the war, as well as future assistance for Kyiv.
In return, Zelensky offered to open the door to U.S. “investments.” In a media interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly included this rejection of Bessent’s plan as one of the main reasons for Trump’s frustration with Zelensky.
IICA to strengthen prevention efforts against cattle tick disease with $250K investment
Milei: Social justice promotes hostility, incompatible with progress
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