Leonidas Iza, the inflexible leader at the head of the indigenous movement in Ecuador

Leonidas Iza, the leader of Conaie, during discussions with the Ecuadorian government in Quito, June 27, 2022. © KAREN TORO / REUTERS

Text by: Yann Le Ny Follow

3 mins

Kichwa, anti-capitalist and president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), Leonidas Iza Salazar is at the head of the Native American protest movement which has paralyzed part of the country, including the capital Quito, since June 13.

They are strongly calling for measures to deal with the cost of living, which has risen sharply in rural areas.

Advertising

Read more

Again dressed in his red poncho, Leonidas Iza faced government officials on Monday June 28 after being on the streets for nearly two weeks.

Accused by the government of being an "anarchist" and

for having "

", he has become a true icon for Ecuadorian indigenous people and has already bent the Ecuadorian government for the first time.

Faced with protest from the streets and the distrust of Parliament, which blames the disorders on the mismanagement of

, the executive backed down on one of the movement's demands.

by 10 cents.

The state of emergency, declared a week earlier in six of the country's 24 provinces, has even been suspended.

First victories for the leader of the movement who still asks for 40 cents reduction as well as a list of ten measures to help rural populations with the cost of living.

After the first state guarantees, the showdown now continues

.

Apart from the price of gasoline, the demands revolve around the renegotiation of bank loans granted to farmers or the control of the prices of agricultural products.

Bringing Indigenous rights back to center stage

Almost a year after being elected head of Conaie, this 30-year-old from the Kichwa people is playing a decisive role in this major mobilization in Ecuador.

Leonidas Iza, an inflexible leader, wants to give back to the indigenous peoples the power he had in particular in the 1990s and 2000s. Three heads of the Ecuadorian state had then had to resign under pressure from indigenous organizations.

Coming from a modest family, the young leader was the only one of his siblings to have studied at university.

Born in Cotopaxi, in the south of the country, he follows the line of his father José María Iza Viracocha.

The latter had distinguished himself in demonstrations in the 1990s. Leonidas Iza became involved at a young age in the movement for indigenous rights.

He willingly cites as models Dolores Cacuango and Transito Amaguaña, two pioneers in the struggle for indigenous rights in Ecuador.

In 2019, he made a name for himself when, alongside Jaime Vargas, he participated in the popular uprising linked

.

Lenin Moreno, the then president, was forced to resign.

After these demonstrations, his name was mentioned as one of the candidates for the presidency of the indigenous Pachakutik party.

The 2021 presidential candidate will ultimately be Yaku Pérez.

He came third in the first round with 19.39% of the vote, just behind candidate Lasso (19.74%).

If the indigenous movement failed at the gates of power in 2021, its place remains central in the political game in Ecuador.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Ecuador

• Social issues