Ecuador extends state of emergency for another 30 days

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Friday (19) extended the state of emergency declared in mid-October for another 30 days in nine of the country’s 24 provinces.

According to the government, the controversial measure aims to restore public order and strengthen the fight against an increase in violence in the country, which is allegedly related to drug trafficking. With the continuation of the state of exception, the Armed Forces will continue on the streets of the provinces affected by the new decree.

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Lasso decreed the state of exception on October 18, an announcement that coincided with a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. On occasion, the head of American diplomacy highlighted the need for judicial oversight of the process and limited the measure’s scope and duration.

The state of exception was initially planned to last 60 days. Still, the Ecuadorian Constitutional Court cut the period in half, arguing that the government had not justified the reasons for the two-month duration.

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