Description: Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa is facing growing domestic scrutiny after cutting diesel subsidies causing for the fuel prices to go up from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon last week. The protesting has been ongoing for almost a week with severe escalation in the capital Quito after the government declared a state of emergency across 10 provinces in the country. The pro – government protests were also present in the capital in higher numbers with government officials such as the Minister of Government, Zaida Rovira and Edgar Lama, the President of the Social Security Board, stating that minorities who manifest their demands through violence would be met with suppression.
Impact: The protests in Ecuador follow a deadly upsurge in gang violence and expanding economic issues which represent Noboa’s first line of challenges after becoming President earlier this year. The protests represent a medium scale domestic crisis which does not currently aim at upending Noboa’s presidentship, however, there is mounting pressure from public due to the dire economic conditions and Noboa’s militarization of the police force due to the gang crisis in the country. The situation would continue to oscillate, depending on Noboa’s response to the civil unrest. The government’s decline to adequately address the fuel subsidies problem and discard the demands from the protesters could rapidly spiral out of control and grow into a broader anti – government front, threatening Noboa’s relatively young presidentship adding to the country’s volatile security and political situation.