Thousands of people took to the streets of Quito and other Ecuadorian cities on Monday to protest against the government's handling of the economic slowdown caused by coronavirus.
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Protesters chanted "Out Moreno, Out," referring to right-wing President Lenin Moreno, who recently took the unusual step of delegating many of his powers to unelected aides with a year left in his term.
Anger was directed at Moreno for initially promising to prevent layoffs and then doing nothing as at least 150,000 people lost their jobs.
Unions also denounced Economy Minister Richard Martinez for making a $324 million payment to foreign creditors during the public health emergency.
Medical workers, students and truckers all had grievances.
A sign spotted at the demonstration in Quito seemed to sum up the mood: "The government lies to you, the bank cheats you, the boss exploits you and the police mistreat you ... and they say that you are the criminal."
Coronavirus has claimed more than 3,200 lives in Ecuador, according to the official count. Most believe the true toll is much higher in light of data showing that Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, and its environs suffered 9,400 "excess" deaths in March and April compared with the same period in 2019.
Australian Associated Press