The hard hand against crime, the big issue of elections
Security has undoubtedly been the issue that has monopolized the electoral campaign. The one that was previously a safe country, if compared to Colombia or Peru, now suffers the presence of criminal gangs that, together with Mexican posters, impose terror. Therefore, after reaching power in November 2023, Daniel Noboa launched the Phoenix Plan, a hard -handing Bukele -style program: he decreed a “non -international internal conflict,” militarized the country, announced the construction of Megacárceles and redoubled the arrests of alleged criminals.
The big question is whether the remedy has been worse than the disease. The Public Force has committed all kinds of abuse against innocent victims: a few weeks ago, the country was shocked by how the military kidnapped, murdered and launched four children to a well. January, meanwhile, has been the bloodiest month in Ecuador’s history since there are records. 731 homicides have been counted when, for example, in 2021 there were only 119. The news and massacres news is constant.
Luisa González, the leftist candidate, is critical of Noboa’s policies and has demanded explanations for the four killed children – the president has avoided talking about the issue. However, it also promotes hard hand policies. The NGO Insight Crime, dedicated to the investigation of threats to national security, questions that both González and Noboa have proposals that will deepen the crisis. The analyst Steven Dudley, co -founder of the organization, considers that it is very likely that violence will increase in 2025 due to the rise of fragmented gangs and the consolidation of new illegal economies such as extortion and illegal mining of gold.
