QUITO, ECUADOR (AP) – World leaders are expressing shock and bewilderment at the decision of Ecuadorian President Daniel Novoa. attack the mexican embassy Last Friday's unusual move, and Novoa's relative silence about it, is unlikely to have a negative impact on voters. In fact, this is exactly the fight against crime at all costs that they expected and voted for.
Ecuadorians, fed up with robbery, kidnapping, extortion and murder fueled by rampant corruption and the growing presence of international drug cartels, looked for a man of action in the last election. Novoa, who often wears a bulletproof vest, sunglasses and a leather jacket, and occasionally a smart-casual white T-shirt, seems to be doing the job for now. If stopping lawbreakers means breaking into the embassy, so be it, Ecuadorians interviewed over the weekend told The Associated Press.
“President Noboa gave a powerful message to the people,” said Carlos Galecio, a political communications consultant and communications program coordinator at Casa Grande University in Ecuador. “(It's) a very powerful image boost.”
Noboa, 36, the heir to one of Ecuador's biggest fortunes, became president in November. win unexpectedly Special election in August. He defeated a protégé of leftist former president Rafael Correa, who avoided a prison sentence related to a corruption conviction by moving to Belgium. secure asylum there.
Novoa inherited a country where people don't leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, where almost everyone knows someone who has been a victim of crime, and where many are considering moving. Statistics back up these decisions and experiences. Last year was Ecuador's bloodiest year on record, with more than 7,600 murders, up from 4,600 the year before.
The causes of spikes are complex, but primarily revolve around cocaine. Gangs supported by cartels They fight for control of the streets, prisons, and drug routes to the Pacific Ocean. Declining state treasuries, high debt levels, political infighting, and corruption left social and law enforcement programs underfunded. And the COVID-19 pandemic has turned hungry children and unemployed adults into easy recruiters for criminal groups.
Prime Minister Noboa promises to increase equipment for the police and military and to build a high-security, maximum-security, supermax-capacity prison similar to the one President Nayib Boucle built in El Salvador. I responded to this by saying. He also issued a decree that would designate more than 20 criminal organizations as terrorist organizations, and scheduled a referendum in April asking voters to expand the military's powers to patrol streets and manage prisons.
Recent poll results from Ecuador-based pollster Sedatos show that more than two-thirds of respondents approve of Noboa's election as president, and more than half support his decision to bring voters to the polls. ing.
Police entered the Mexican embassy in the capital Quito to arrest the former vice president. Jorge Glass, a convicted felon and fugitive, had been living there since December. In his first comments on the operation, Novoa said on Monday that “an exceptional He said he had made a “decision.”
“My duty is to abide by the judgment of the justice system, and I cannot allow asylum to be granted to prisoners who have committed very serious crimes,” Noboa argued, which is in line with the Vienna Convention and other international agreements. claimed to be in violation. In a statement posted on social platform X, Novoa did not mention Glass by name but suggested he was an “imminent flight risk.”
Diplomatic facilities are considered foreign land; “Non-aggression” based on the Vienna Convention Also, law enforcement from the host country will not be allowed access without the ambassador's permission. Mexico plans to challenge the raid at the World Court in The Hague.
Still, Novoa's demonstration of power soon gained national admiration.
“I agree with President Noboa's actions. I think this is a courageous move…and I think it will make him stronger,” said university professor Gabriela Sandoval. “The priority is to clean and disinfect and continue processes as important as President Novoa keeping his home in order.”
Ecuadorians are scheduled to vote in the presidential election in February. Mr. Novoa is eligible to run for re-election.
The confidence in Noboa comes amid already messy trade deal negotiations between Ecuador and Mexico, where global condemnation of the attack has become a key barrier to trade and Ecuador's interest in joining Latin America's Pacific Alliance trade bloc. Economic groups believe there will be no impact.
“These political and current issues will be resolved one way or another, and then relations will return to normal,” said Roberto Aspiaz, vice president of the Ecuadorian-Mexico Bilateral Chamber. “Sooner or later, a trade deal will also become a reality, because negotiations exist and must be resumed at some point.”
Still, the timing of diplomacy is rupture with mexico Will Freeman, a Latin American studies fellow at the New York-based think tank Council on Foreign Relations, said this is particularly unfortunate for Ecuador and could backfire on Noboa's crime-fighting ambitions. .
Ecuador has been expanding its operations in Ecuador, where Mexican and Colombian cartels have established themselves, settling in coastal cities and using world-class ports to transport hundreds of millions of dollars of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia. Previously, it was one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America. And Peru.
“While Ecuador's gangs are a criminal power in their own right, they have brokered alliances with new-generation cartels in Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco states,” Freeman said. “In an ideal world, Noboa would seek the cooperation of the Mexican government in its fight against gangs and their international partners, but with the severance of diplomatic relations it is clear that this is not happening.”
It remains unclear whether Novoa anticipated the global backlash his decision would receive, but some criticisms may carry more weight than others.
The United States, which provided Ecuador with critical equipment and training to fight drug cartels during the Noboa administration, reiterated the importance of adhering to international law following last week's raid.
“The United States takes very seriously the obligation of host states under international law to respect diplomatic missions,” said Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs. “We encourage Ecuador and Mexico to resolve their differences amicably.”
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Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.