Campesino Groups in Ecuador Mobilize Against IMF, More Planned

The Campesinos groups rallied in the center of Quito on Tuesday, as they gathered to hand a letter to the presidential palace that expressed their rejection of the neoliberal IMF deal that the Ecuadorian government has signed. In the coming days mobilizations will be ramped up a labor unions and other Indigenous groups join protests. 

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The ‘National Campesino Coordinator Eloy Alfaro’, a member of the Via Campesina international group, is made up of the country’s rural workers who kicked off protests in Quito’s historic centre on Tuesday. They expressed anger at the $4billion IMF deal signed by Lenin Moreno, that requires Ecuador to implement a number of social spending cuts and withdrawal of labor rights. 

The leader of the coalition Romelio Gualan said, “These are neoliberal policies that directly affect rural workers”

They were also protesting the privatization of state companies, in particular, the state telecom company CNT, which is currently being sold off. Gualan addressed the issue saying “As an organization we defend all state companies because we believe that privatization is a maneuver to benefit only the private sector”.

More mobilizations are planned for the 5th of September, when ther FUT, the country’s largest labour union federation is mobilizing workers against the IMF deal. 

Since current President Lenin Moreno led a right-wing turn away from the progressive policies of former leftist President Rafael Correa, Moreno’s approval ratings have hit rock bottom. A recent poll reported that a massive 85% of voters disapprove of his record in government.