• In 2017, Lenín Moreno took over the presidential post in Ecuador after Rafael Correa, who has ruled the country since 2007. Under Correa's rule, the economy gained a significant boost. But corruption scandals and a falling oil price, which among other things led to declining growth, allowed Moreno to take over.
• Moreno has conducted a much more moderate policy than the representative and after the election the two have become sworn enemies.
• Last year, Moreno presented a program to address the country's budget deficit, with major cuts in the state apparatus and efforts to stimulate private enterprise. Among other things, the initiative was taken in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to take out a loan, according to the BBC.
• One of the proposals was to remove subsidies on fuel. A subsidy that has been in Ecuador since the 70s. The measure is part of the cuts and to ease government debt. According to the BBC, the subsidies should have cost the state $ 1.3 billion. Without the subsidy, the price of gasoline and oil is expected to almost double.
• Due to the canceled subsidy, protests among the people of Ecuador erupt during the autumn. The transport sector is launching a strike that will stop traffic between the capital Quito and the million city of Guayaquil. Other protest actions are also breaking out and clashes between police and protesters are taking place. President Moreno announces a state of emergency in the country on October 3 .
• Even parts of Ecuador's indigenous people protest through roadblocks and demonstrations. Some 50 police officers are being held hostage around the country. On October 7, the Ministry of Energy announces that work on three oil fields has been stopped due to protesters. Something that affected the country's oil production and therefore also the economy.
• Due to the unrest, the Presidential Palace will be vacated on October 8. The government has already left Quito for the city of Guayaquil, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
• On the same day, protesters manage to storm the parliament building in the country. No meeting took place at the time and the protesters were abducted by police. Clashes between police and protesters must have continued outside the congress building where the police must have used tear gas, among other things. President Moreno issues a curfew in the country.
• So far, two people have died and several were injured in the demonstrations.
Source: TT, BBC and Foreign Policy Institute