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The curfew was introduced Tuesday in Quito around places of power after Parliament was briefly invaded by protesters. REUTERS / Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Indigenous people, unions and popular organizations must launch an indefinite general strike on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 to protest the austerity measures that have plunged the country into violence for a week

With our correspondent in Quito, Éric Samson

Thousands of Indians arrived in Quito on Tuesday. Their political agenda is very precise as recalled by Yaku Pérez, native prefect of Azuay province. " These economic measures make the daily life of the natives more difficult. This is why we must demonstrate and resist peacefully to demand the repeal of economic measures and the cancellation of the recent agreement with the IMF, "he said.

► See also: Ecuador: three questions to Marie-Esther Lacuisse, specialist of the Andean countries

On the evening of Tuesday, the police made massive use of tear gas to dislodge Indians from Arbolito Park, their traditional place of concentration before any demonstration. It was probably to protect the National Assembly briefly occupied Tuesday by demonstrators and to enforce the curfew decreed in the area.

The presidential palace in sight

After a week of tension, the death of at least two people and damage to more than 1.3 billion euros, President Lenin Moreno transferred Monday the government in the coastal city of Guayaquil .

A veteran of the fight against mining companies, native Dolores Peralta was not impressed. " They with their tear gas, they want to defeat us, but we, the indigenous women, we learned to defend ourselves, " she says. We have coal water or pepper water. It stings hard when it is sent in the eyes. "

This Wednesday, the Indians will try to go to the presidential palace deserted by the head of state, but still protected by tanks and hundreds of police.

Rafael Correa wants new elections

Lenin Moreno on Tuesday accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor at the head of Ecuador Rafael Correa of ​​seeking to destabilize his government. The latter is calling for the organization of new elections. Guillaume Long was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rafael Correa. It details the requests of the former president and his party Revolucion ciudadana.

" Our first demand is the end of these unpopular, impoverishing economic reforms that only increase inequality, " he says. The second demand faces a systemic, institutional, political crisis and even social peace today in the streets of different cities and campaigns of Ecuador. Faced with this, we have a president who has less than 14% support in the polls - before the big demonstrations, he had to fall even more - a brutal persecution, very aggressive against his opponents. Faced with all these abuses, in the face of all these anti-democratic measures, this profound crisis in Ecuadorian society, it is clear that we are for a democratic outcome, that is elections. And the Constitution also makes it possible, it is obviously necessary that everyone resigns and that we can have new legislative and presidential elections of course. "

► See also: Events in Ecuador: Reasons for anger