Ecuador declares National State of
Emergency
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| Street protests erupt in Ecuador (AFP) |
The Government of Ecuador is ending an almost half century
of fuel subsidies and this is causing demonstrations so severe that a National
State of Emergency has been declared.
By James Blears
Street protesters have thrown rocks, hurled Molotov
Cocktails and set tires plus other objects ablaze, venting their anger at Riot
Police, who`ve responded with tear gas rounds and armored car patrols.
Ecuador`s President Lenin Moreno has declared a National State of Emergency,
saying he must do this to prevent chaos gripping the Country and to restore
calm and with it order.
Fury erupted after he ended forty years of fuel subsidies
saying Ecuador simply can no longer afford them, as it`s costing the equivalent
of 1.3 billion dollars each and every year.
The shock of an inevitable huge surge increase in gasoline
and diesel prices, firstly shocked and then inflamed many who are now
protesting...demanding that he immediately rescind his decision and go back to
the old ways.
However the Government says it`s now time for Ecuador to
economically tighten its belt, as part of its side of a bargin, involving a
substantial loan from the International Monetary Fund- the IMF, amounting to
4.2 billion dollars, to shore up its faltering economy. Ecuador has just announced
it`s leaving OPEC, in order to be able to boost its petroleum production.
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