Guillermo Laso, new president of Ecuador, takes office; Know who you are and what challenges you will inherit

The new president of EcuadorAnd the Guillermo LassoAnd the He takes office on Monday (24) in Quito. Center right, The former banker was elected in April After beating Andres Arouz, a confidant of former President Rafael Correa, in the second round of the elections. The term will expire in 2025.

The opening ceremony must be attended by the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Sebastian Pinera, Act Chile, e Louis Lacal Beau, Act Uruguay, He should also attend. The king of SpainFelipe VI another person should be involved.

Lasso Joins Lacalle Pou as His Two center-right actors who have had electoral success in South America over the past two years, When the continent witnessed the resurgence of the left and the center left. Alberto Fernandez (Argentina), Lewis Ars (Bolivia), And talk The constitutional referendum is not Chile This represents a new turning point in South America. In the Peru, Keiko Fujimori, right-wing populist; And Pedro Castillo, from the radical left, fight for the second round.

Meet the new president of Ecuador below

Wearing a mask, Presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso attends a rally in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday (3) – Photo: Rodrigo Buendia / AFP

The former banker had run for president of Ecuador in 2013 and 2017, when he was defeated. The lasso represents the traditional right and garners support among the businessmenSome media and voters are frustrated with the 21st century socialism that Korea has proclaimed.

Lasso usually adopts austerity rhetoric in the economic sphere. But in the face of the economy faltering due to the epidemic, the former banker admits to raising the minimum wage and distancing himself from the shadow of Jamil Moawad’s government, who was Minister of Economy in light of a severe economic crisis. , At the end of nineteen ninety.

Ecuadorian presidential candidate for the Creando Oportunidades Movement (CREO), Guillermo Lasso, votes in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 11, 2021. Ecuadorians elected their next president on Sunday with voters choosing from among a young socialist disciple of former leader Rafael Correa and a veteran facing conservatives like the oil-rich country An economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Fernando Mendes / AFP

At that time, Ecuador saw the local currency melt away, and the government began adopting the dollar as the country’s official currency. The measure, still in place today, divides the views of Ecuadorians.

In the social sphere, Lasso shows that he is a conservative Catholic and does not intend to abandon certain positions such as opposing abortion. However, he has waved in more than one interview with social minorities: He said he wanted to end discrimination against LGBT people in Ecuador.

Challenges facing the new president

Ecuadorian Alexis Pereira, who works at the Angel María Canales Municipal Cemetery, stands in Guayaquil, Ecuador, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alexis Pereira regrets the number of people who have died during the epidemic and he and his family are concerned about the risks he is exposed to – Photo: José Sánchez / AFP

Lenin Moreno gives Guillermo Lasso a country in deeper hardship than he found when he was elected four years ago. The last two were particularly tricky, see why:

2019 The announcement to end fuel subsidies sparked a widespread political crisis that sparked protests across Ecuador, led by indigenous people. The repression was strong and there were deaths and a curfew.
2020 The coronavirus pandemic drove Guayaquil, the country’s largest city, into chaos in hospitals and funerals in April, with bodies left on the streets. Residents spotted eagles flying over homes at the height of the crisis.

Thus, Lasso comes to power with the challenge of accelerating the vaccination against Covid-19 in Ecuador, which continues to go very slowly. Just over 2% of the population has been vaccinated with both doses to date.

Meanwhile, in the face of an economy ravaged by the virus, the new president will face the challenge of reviving the economic dynamic. Although he has a more traditional streak of budget cuts, he himself has admitted that he may embrace incentives to generate more jobs in the coming years.