Security is the main focus of the presidential debate in Ecuador

First Amendment: 03/10/2023 – 10:27Last update: 03/10/2023 – 10:25

1 minute

The candidates who reported threats against them attended the meeting amid an intense security campaign and wearing bullet-proof vests that were removed during the debate.

The presidential election campaign in Ecuador, a country plagued in recent years by drug trafficking and criminal gangs, was marred by the shooting of centrist candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 9.

Gonzalez, who is close to former leftist President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), confirmed that he would apply a “strong hand” against the gangs that “sow terror” in Ecuador, the country located between Colombia and Peru, the largest cocaine producer. .

“I will militarize prisons, customs and ports to regain control of the country,” the candidate said.

He added that part of his work in the educational axis will be providing security for schools “with surveillance cameras, police, and equipped patrols.”

In Duran, one of the most violent cities in the country, the Education Department was forced to temporarily suspend in-person classes during September at 12 institutions due to an increase in crime.

For his part, former MP Noboa, the son of one of the richest men in Ecuador, pointed out the need to militarize the border and create barge prisons to isolate the most violent inmates.

To complement his anti-crime plan, Noboa proposed holding a popular consultation that would include a question on implementing the jury system to solve corruption and organized crime cases.

The new president will complete his current four-year term (until May 2025) after right-wing governor Guillermo Lasso dissolved the opposition-majority Congress in May as a way out of a serious political crisis, which has made way for early general elections.

© 2023 Agence France-Presse