Ecuadorians in New York Unite to Support their Country
QUEENS —The warm, -sunny day made a more exciting experience for Ecuadorians who turned up to on Sunday. Thousands of Ecuadorians filled the Union of Students building at Queens College, where about 70 ballot boxes were installed.
The two candidates—Lenin Moreno, the former vice-president, and Guillermo Lasso, a former banker— were facing each other for the second time. Moreno was close to tasting victory in the initial presidential vote on Feb 19. The 39 percent of votes in his favor and the 28 percent to Lasso did not meet the requirements for a clear victory, so a second runoff vote was scheduled.
Should Moreno win, analysts have predicted that Ecuador’s reputation would be cemented “as a bastion of the left in Latin America.” Should Lasso win, Ecuador will take another direction after many years under the leftists.
“I notice there are more people voting today,” said Cesar Quintero as he walked inside the building along with his wife and his son, following the crowd. “It’s an important day and I think everybody needs to participate.”
Since the first election, both candidates have been rigorously campaigning, giving more interviews on TV, appearing more in social media and inviting citizens to follow them for “change” and a “better democracy.”
“I vote for a change,” said Jose Gonzales, 54, who has business in Ecuador and in New York. He travels there frequently. He said he has experienced the corruption and that Ecuador is not as it used to be ten years ago. “Ecuador is bad now,” he said, adding that if the lift-wing Moreno wins, “Ecuador will be like Venezuela,” referring to the movement that is happening in Caracas.
Newsweek reported that the anti-government demonstration in Venezuela against the president Nicolas Maduro started when people ask the president to resign because of economy downturn that led to high inflation, shortages of basic food, goods and medicine. The government wants to control everything. The largest protest the country has seen got into a riot with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. The protester asked for “No more dictatorship.”
Lasso twitted during the Elections “This is a crucial day, this isn’t any election, here there’s a path; there’s a path to Venezuela or a path to democracy and freedom.”
On the other hand, Moreno wrote on his Twitter account, “I’m going to inaugurate the cleanest government in history. We will completely eradicate corruption. I count on you Ecuadorians!”
“I just want to get over with it,” said Juan Delgado, who was not willing to say who he voted for. “Both of them are liars. I don’t trust them,” he added.
Meanwhile, a group of people in a corner joked and laughed. “Let’s go Moreno,” they shouted.
While exiting the building, Victor Tocachi, 32, enthusiastically said he had voted for Moreno. “Ecuador has made a lot of progress,” he said. “We have new hospitals, new roads and more jobs.” Tocachi said that the former president Rafael Correa was “the first good president” Ecuador has had in a long time.
Lasso has promised in his campaign to help people boost their small business and cut taxes, so that way there be more jobs. But at the same time people are skeptical weather to believe him or not, Lasso has a bad reputation of being responsible when the National Bank collapsed as result most of the Ecuadorians lost their money.
“I didn’t vote. But I hope whoever is elected do good things for the country,” said Pablo who works in construction work and owns his small company. “We need to support the winner”