Leftist lawyer Luisa González and businessman Daniel Noboa outlined their government plans, debating on the matters of economy, security, social policies and political issues

González is the winner of the first round of presidential elections in Ecuador. She said that with the complaint, she not only intends to safeguard her life and shed light on the plan aimed at physically eliminating her, but also draw attention to the impunity in the country

The march took place on year after the femicide of 34-year-old lawyer María Belén Bernal at the hands of her cop husband Germán Fernando Cáceres inside the Quito Police Training High School

González of the left-wing Citizens Revolution Movement won the first round with 33.31% of the votes, while Noboa of the right-wing National Democratic Action Alliance secured 23.66% of the votes

The early elections in the Andean country are taking place in a context of increased violence against political candidates and in society generally

Ecuadorian Lawyer Patricia Carrión spoke to Peoples Dispatch about the suspension of a controversial mining decree that activists allege promoted the interests of mining companies

All seven presidential candidates advocated strengthening of the security in the country and promised improvements as they stood next to fellow hopeful Fernando Villavicencio’s empty podium, who was assassinated last week

The former member of Ecuador’s National Assembly Villavicencio had previously denounced receiving threats from members of criminal groups

The resignation of Guillermo Rodríguez from the SNAI comes a week after the last prison massacre, which claimed the lives of 31 inmates in the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil city

The announcement of a peace agreement among criminal gangs came days after a prison riot at the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil claimed the lives of 31 inmates, and the murder of the mayor of the city of Manta, which forced the Lasso government to declare two states of emergency in two days

According to El País, private security company UC Global SL spied on Rafael Correa after he left office and passed information about his private meetings to the CIA as well as to his successor Lenín Moreno

Ahead of the early general elections in Ecuador, Professor Pablo Meriguet spoke to Peoples Dispatch about the reality on the ground and the significance of the upcoming electoral process for the country