MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2019) Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has agreed to reconsider the decree ending decades-long fuel subsidies which had triggered violent public protests all across Ecuador for over more than a week now, the mayor of Quito, Jorge Yunda, said on Saturday following the president's talks with the Association of Ecuadorian Municipalities.
"The president, taking into account the complexity of the situation, has agreed to analyze Decree 883 one more time. In the next few hours, he will meet with the protest leaders," Yunda said on Twitter.
Mass protests erupted in Ecuador in early October as thousands rallied across the country against the government's economic reforms, specifically the decision to end decades-long fuel subsidies for people. As civil unrest grew progressively violent, Moreno declared a national two-month state of emergency. According to Moreno, Ecuador could no longer afford them and the cuts could help the country save some $2.27 billion a year. Additionally, the abolition of fuel subsidies was part of the Ecuadorian government's deal with the International Monetary Fund to be eligible for a $4.2 billion loan.
