A series of protests against the economic policies of
Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso, triggered by increasing fuel and food prices, began on 13 June 2022. Initiated by and primarily attended by Indigenous activists, in particular the
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador ( es, Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador) or, more commonly, CONAIE, is Ecuador's largest indigenous rights organization. The Ecuadorian Indian movement under the le ...
(CONAIE), the protests have since been joined by students and workers who have also been affected by the price increases. Lasso has condemned the protests and labelled them as an attempted "
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
" against his government.
As a result of the protests, Lasso has declared a state of emergency. As the protests have blocked exits, entries and ports in Quito and Guayaquil, there have been food and fuel shortages across the country as a result. Lasso has been criticized for allowing violent and deadly responses towards protestors. The President narrowly escaped impeachment in a vote in
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
on 29 June: 81 MPs voted in favour of impeachment, 42 voted against and 14 abstained; 92 votes were needed to achieve impeachment.
Timeline
The protest, which stems from the "structural social exclusion of indigenous peoples in Ecuador" and rising prices, is mainly led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), and by student and worker collectives.
The protests began on 13 June 2022 As protests marched towards the country's capital in
Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
, they increasingly began to get violent. On 14 June, CONAIE President
Leonidas Iza was arrested by the
National Police in the
Latacunga Canton
Latacunga Canton is one of seven cantons of the Cotopaxi Province in Ecuador. Its population at the 2001 census was 143,979. Its capital is the town of Latacunga.
Subdivision
The capital of the canton consists of the following urban parishes: ...
, which escalated the protests. Despite supporters calling his arrest illegal, an Ecuadorian judge ruled that his arrest was legal, he was released the same day due to substitute measures.
On 15 June, the protests have reached south of
Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
and students, mainly from the
University of Cuenca
The University of Cuenca (Spanish: ''Universidad de Cuenca'') is an Ecuadorian university located in Cuenca. University of Cuenca is the principal university of Azuay Province. The university was officially founded in 1867, being the first unive ...
, later became involved with the protests. The same day, members of a transportation union in Quito joined in the protests due to rising fuel prices. The following day, protestors began to block roads and entry points to Quito and other cities such as
Cuenca,
Latacunga,
Ambato,
Tulcán,
Ibarra and
Riobamba.
Reports of gas shortages near the
Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
and mountainsides were reported.
[
On 17 June, the Education Ministry announced closure of in-person classes across the country and shifted to virtual classes due to the violent unrest. That same day, protestors managed to take control of the governments of the ]Pastaza Province
Pastaza () is a province in the Oriente of Ecuador located in the eastern jungle. The capital is Puyo, founded on May 12, 1899 and which has 36,700 inhabitants. The city is now accessible by paved roads, a recent development; the main road from ...
and Morona-Santiago Province after breaching through police barricades while CONAIE filed an official complaint to the Justice Ministry against Lasso's government over Iza's arrest on 14 June. A few hours later, police confrontation towards protestors turned violent in Chimborazo Province where 40 people were injured and twelve were critically wounded. That same night, President Lasso implemented a curfew in Quito and also permitted police officials in the provinces of Pichincha, Cotopaxi and Imbabura to use deadly force.
Five days after the protests began on 18 June, President Lasso declared a state of emergency and lifted a restriction of information about the protests on social media. However, hours later, Lasso's government announced a "march of peace" and declared victory over the protests even though Lasso would eventually reverse this statement. Lasso's state of emergency decree was met with criticism within the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
and eventually, assembly members asked to revoke the state of emergency.
That same day, CONAIE President Iza had an assassination attempt made on him when visiting Latacunga. During the protests, many Ecuadorian news agency website were hacked by protestors domestically and internationally such as from Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. On 19 June, protest indigenous leaders in the Ambato Province said they would cut off the province's water supply should citizens not join in support of the protests, however two days later the water supply would be shut-off due to contamination from burnt oil.
By 20 June, students from the Central University of Ecuador
, image = Escudo de la Universidad Central del Ecuador.png
, caption =
, alt =
, motto = ''Omnium Potentior est Sapientia''
, established =
, type = National university
, president =
, ...
and transportation union members from Cuenca joined the protests and took part in the blockade of Cuenca. That same day, Lasso addressed the nation saying that the protests are aimed at removing him from power and issued a new state of emergency in which he would prohibit meetings in public areas, however welcomed peaceful protests. The National Assembly criticized Lasso's new state of emergency and held a meeting to revoke it.[ Hours later, when protestors were gathered in Quito, police officials detonated 25 bombs near caravans carrying the protestors which injured two people.
]
On 21 June, protestors blocked food transportation ports in Guayaquil
, motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America
, pushpin_re ...
leading to a food shortage. Police investigators and Health Ministry officials launched an investigation against the protestors in Ambato, saying the protestors have contaminated the city's drinking water by pouring burnt oil into the reserves. That same day, the Defense Ministry
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
condemened the protests and said that the "democracy of Ecuador is in serious risk". Police officials began detonating bombs at nearby universities in Guayaquil and Quito as response to student-led protests.
On 22 June, CONAIE officials announced the ratification of their list of demands in order to begin talks with Lasso's government. Government officials acknowledged this and said they would begin the review process of CONAIE's list of demands. Following day, ministry officials began to review who would mediate talks between CONAIE and government officials while extending Lasso's state of emergency declaration. On 23 June, violent clashes between military officials and protestors in San Antonio de Pichincha left 17 soldiers seriously injured, the destruction of three military trucks and the death of one protestor. That same night, counter-protests were held in Quito calling Iza a "terrorist" and accusing former President Rafael Correa as funding the protests.
On 24 June, protestors stormed the Egyptian Embassy in Quito and launched several bombs. That same day, protestors took control of the Cotopaxi Governor's Office and appointed a "Governor of the People" in the province. The following day, protests began to ease in Quito with Iza asking protestors to allow food products to enter the city to feed hungry protestors. Police officials in Quito recorded 3,823 cases of disturbances along with 138 arrests in the city between 13 June to 25 June.
On 26 June, Lasso announced the reduction of fuel prices by ten cents. The following day, CONAIE criticized Lasso's fuel price reduction as insufficient and announced they will meet with grassroots organizers on an official response. On 28 June, a violent clash erupted between soldiers and protestors in the Sucumbíos Province
Sucumbíos () is a province in northeast Ecuador. The capital and largest city is Nueva Loja (normally referred to as Lago Agrio). It is the fifth largest province in the country, with an area of 18,084 km2. In 2010, it had a population o ...
over a convey of seventeen fuel tankers resulted in the death of one soldier. Hours later, Lasso denounced Iza and said he would meet with him for official talks to end the protests. In response, CONAIE called Lasso an "authoritarian leader" and said he would be responsible for ending potential talks to end the protests.[ President of the National Assembly condemned Lasso for not holding the peace talks while insisting that that is the only measure to end the protests. That same night, impeachment debates against Lasso resumed in the National Assembly, however failed as 80 assembly members voted to impeach Lasso, which is less than the 92 necessary votes to oust Lasso from power.
On 29 June, protestors in Morona-Santiago Province attempted to overthrow the provincial governor by detaining the provincial manager. Hours later, Morona Santiago governor Freddy Villamagua announced his resignation as part of a negotiation with protestors to free hostages, such as the provincial manager. That same night, Lasso declared a new state of emergency for the Imbabura, Azuay, Sucumbíos and Orellana provinces.
The protests have been noted for the national food and fuel shortages that it caused and the violent measures taken by protestors.] During the protests, protestors have attacked civilians, burned police stations and began looting across the country.[ Causes for the shortages are due to blockades by the protests which reduced the amount of foods and products travelling in and out of Quito and Guayaquil.] Several markets were forced to close due to violent protests and food prices soared as a result.[ The lack of domestic security which was brough by the previous administration of Lenin Moreno was also cited as a motivator for the protests.
]
CONAIE demands
The CONAIE released a list of ten demands on 13 June 2022, some of which have been met to varying degrees by the Ecuadorian government:
# Reduction and freezing of the prices of fuel: diesel at $1.50 and extra and eco gasoline at $2.10. Abolish Decrees 1158, 1183, 1054, and focus instead on the sectors that need more subsidies: agricultural work, farming, transportation and fishing.
# Economic relief for more than four million families with a moratorium of no less than one year, renegotiation of private debts with a reduction of interest rates, and the suspension of seizure of assets due to non-payment of those debts.[
# Fair prices on everyday food products and no royalty payments for farmers.][
# Policies and public investment to prevent or avoid job insecurity and the demanding of payment of debts to the IESS.][
# Moratorium on the expansion of the mining and oil industries, comprehensive audits and reparations for the sociological and environmental impacts of these industries, and the repeal of Decrees 95 and 151 on mining.][
# Respect for the twenty-one collective rights provided for in Article 57 of the ]Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
: bilingual intercultural education, indigenous justice, prior consultation, and organization and self-determination of indigenous communities.[
# Stopping the privatization of public companies.][
# Policies to control prices and speculative pricing on basic necessities.][
# An urgent budget in the face of shortages in hospitals due to a lack of medical personnel and staff. Guaranteed youth access to higher education and the improvement of infrastructure in primary schools, secondary schools, and universities.][
# Security, protection, and generation of effective public policies to curb crime in the country.][
]
Responses
Amid the protests, the Japanese, German, Canadian, French, and Swiss embassies sent a joint communique in which they expressed their concern for "the continued, violent disturbance in the country, particularly because it affects fundamental human rights of the citizens." As such, they indicated that they recognize "the right to organize peacefully" and they urged both sides to come together for dialogue toward reconciliation and peace.
The ONG, Human Rights International, announced the withdraw of their personnel "after they became victims of physical violence, theft, and illegal detention before urging Leonidas Iza to reach "dialogue and respect for the human rights of those who are not participating in the protests and that violence and acts of vandalism do not serve as a sign of a desire to find a conclusion to this crisis."
On 22 June 2022, the United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
issued a travel advisory to Ecuador over the rise of civil unrest and crime in the country relating to the protests. That same day, Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
called on an end of violence amid the protests from both the government and protestors.
President Lasso
A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...
issued an approximately six-minute, televised statement on 24 June 2022 in which he described the "violence perpetrated by criminals ho have
Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to:
People Language and ethnicity
* Ho people, an ethnic group of India
** Ho language, a tribal language in India
* Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam
* Hiri Mo ...
infiltrated he movement
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
" only after having stated that "the real intention of Mr. Iza is the destabilization of the government." On 25 June, Lasso had announced that the International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
had approved a $1 million disbursement of funds to the country in response to the protests.
On 25 June 2022, members of the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
met with motions to begin an impeachment process towards Lasso over his handling of the protests.
See also
* 2019 Ecuadorian protests
The 2019 Ecuadorian protests were a series of protests and riots against austerity measures including the cancellation of fuel subsidies, adopted by President of Ecuador Lenín Moreno and his administration. Organized protests ceased after ind ...
– similarly triggered by a reduction in fuel subsidies
* 2022 Peruvian protests
* 2022 Sri Lankan protests
The 2022 Sri Lankan protests ( si, අරගලය, translit=Aragalaya, lit=Struggle), are mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government has been criticized for mismanaging the Sri Lankan economy, ...
* List of protests in the 21st century
This is a list of protests in the 21st century.
Revolutions and uprisings Plants (Colour) revolutions
* Rose Revolution (Georgia, 2003)
* Tulip Revolution (Kyrgyzstan, 2005)
* Cedar Revolution (Lebanon, 2005)
* Orange Revolution (Ukraine, 2 ...
References
{{Contemporary Ecuadorian protest movement
2022 in Ecuador
2022 protests
2022 riots
June 2022 events in South America
Political history of Ecuador
Protests in Ecuador
Fuel protests
2022 labor disputes and strikes