The leader of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), Leonidas Iza, has called for transparency in the vote count in the referendum held this Sunday to approve a series of constitutional amendments.
Iza has urged citizens to be «vigilant» to avoid «blackouts» in the vote count. «The only thing we ask is that there must be transparency in the counting, the popular will must be respected,» he said, as reported by Radio Pichincha.
Likewise, he has maintained that the Movement of Plurinational Unity Pachakutik, political arm of the Conaie, is receiving an advantage in terms of its candidates at national level, according to the internal data of the organization.
Hours before, the Conaie leader has indicated through his social networks that he has «gone to exercise» his vote, assuring that he had given a «resounding no to the eight questions of the popular consultation» for «the good of Ecuador».
Indigenous groups had accused the government of President Guillermo Lasso of failing to comply with 90 percent of the agreements reached at the dialogue tables that concluded last October after the protests that paralyzed the country in summer, reason for which the indigenists have made a call to vote ‘No’ in the popular consultation.
Therefore, this plebiscite is also understood as a popular thermometer on Lasso’s work at the head of the country. Ecuadorians elect 5,600 positions at local level, where the ruling party will compete with candidates loyal to former president Rafael Correa, still a popular figure in the South American country despite residing outside the country and having several open cases. The Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS) will also be renewed.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)