Quito (AFP) – Presidential candidates Luisa González and Daniel Noboa proposed this Sunday a militarization of prisons, ports and customs offices, strengthening security in schools in the face of increasing violence and a referendum in Ecuador, ahead of the runoff elections on October 15.
First change: October 3, 2023 – 10:27 Last change: October 3, 2023 – 10:25
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The candidates, who reported threats against them, attended the meeting amid tight security and wore bulletproof vests, which were removed during the debate.
The presidential election campaign in Ecuador, a country plagued by drug trafficking and criminal gangs in recent years, was marred after the August 9 shooting of centrist candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
González, close to former leftist President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), claimed he would act with a “strong hand” against the gangs that are “sowing terror” in Ecuador, a country between Colombia and Peru, the largest producer of cocaine. .
“I will militarize prisons, customs and ports to take back control of the country,” the candidate said.
He added that part of his work in education will be to ensure the security of schools “with surveillance cameras, equipped police and patrols.”
In Durán, one of the most violent cities in the country, the Ministry of Education had to temporarily suspend in-person classes in twelve institutions in September due to increasing crime.
For his part, former MP Noboa, son of one of Ecuador’s richest men, pointed to the need to militarize the borders and create barge prisons to isolate the most violent prisoners.
To complement his crime-fighting plan, Noboa proposed a referendum that will include a question on introducing a jury system to resolve corruption and organized crime cases.
The new president will complete the current four-year term (until May 2025) after right-wing leader Guillermo Lasso dissolved the opposition-majority Congress in May to escape a serious political crisis that led to early parliamentary elections.
© 2023 AFP