In the results of the 2021 presidential elections, he came in fourth place. In the campaign, he was jovial, he is the applicant who frequently made TikTok, the exporter who dabbled in politics and today considers it a sin to leave it. Beyond the fact that Xavier Hervas disaffiliated from the Democratic Left (ID) that sponsored him, he maintains his activism and has been the protagonist of a controversy with the president Guillermo Lasso, of whom he has no qualms about saying that he is lying.
He answers the 35 questions of EL UNIVERSO, in which he reveals that he is touring the country in search of unity. He is not frontal regarding an upcoming presidential candidacy, but his answers allow us to intuit that it will be so. He also talks about the invitations he received during the government of Rafael Correa and whether or not a friendship remained from those trips to trade fairs.
1.- Where is Xavier Hervas from?
Guayaquileño with the soul of an Ecuadorian. My mother is of Manabita origin, but she was born in Quito and has many relatives in Guayaquil; my father from riobambeño
2.- How long have you been in Quito?
My childhood, due to my father’s work, I lived outside of Ecuador. Actually, I studied fifth and sixth grade and fifth and sixth grade in Quito and after graduating I returned to live here in Quito.
3.- Outside the country where you lived?
In Poland 4 years, Peru 4 years and New York 4 years.
4.- What are the customs of Guayaquil?
Guayaquil food is something that I love: the fish bun, the onion, the guatita, the hose broth. And Christmas and New Year we spent in Guayaquil.
5. -How do you get involved with bread?
Baker. I studied agro-industrial production engineering, which doesn’t really teach you how to make bread, what it teaches you is how to process agricultural products. I get involved with bread because in a mission in Venezuela, as an employee I worked in an export company, and in that mission I met another Ecuadorian who had a company that made polenta, we became friends, he offered me to be a partner in that and in the intermediate -he also had a bakery-, he told me that he wanted to open a bakery and he invited me to be a partner in his bakery. To make a long story short, he had a debt for machinery that was taken from him, so he didn’t continue that business and I told him ‘I’ll buy from him and we’re still good friends.’ That’s how I learned to make bread, in fact I was the weekend baker.
6.- And with what capital did you buy the bakery?
I had some capital from my work, which wasn’t much, and my father lent me the difference. Surely it was less than about 10,000 dollars, in Ecuador sucres were handled.
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7.- How do you leave bread for vegetables?
As a result of having the bakery, I began to sell machinery of the same brand that I had in the bakery, but at a given moment the company that I represented in Ecuador came to set up its own office. That took me out of the business of selling that machinery and from there I concentrated more on the export issue until I finally sold the bakery with that capital, which was part of setting up the frozen food factory.
8.- What do you export?
Frozen broccoli and Chinese potato.
9.- Your affiliation to the ID lasted a year and a half, why did you leave the ID?
I got into politics and I also joined the party out of conviction and because of that same conviction I could not continue to be part of a party in which I did not see coherence. With great gratitude to the militancy because there is a very nice militancy, but unfortunately a leadership that has lost its way.
10.- In what sense did you lose your way?
In that their personal interests prevail over what a political party should be.
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11.- Where is this loss of direction evident? In the Assembly?
This is evidenced in a year and a half of marking a line that conveniently complied with it. One can lead a vision, what you cannot is lead particular interests that did not allow going with a line that moved away from a political thought. I consider myself a social democrat, with that political thought I joined that party that I judged was the Ecuadorian social democracy, but in the behavior in the Assembly, the behavior inside the house, they did not comply with the statutes… Armando, in a democracy, some majorities even disrespected the statutes of the party, that was the fundamental reason.
12.- Would you join another party or plan to found another?
I continue to work on all the issues that I think are necessary in the country and part of that is to generate political thought. What I can tell you is that I would not be a candidate for any political party that is not related to my political ideology.
13.- Will you be a candidate for the Presidency of Ecuador again?
I have never left politics. What I think is to continue insisting so that our country is better and what can be seen, unfortunately, is that day by day we continue to deteriorate further.
14.- Do you still travel the country?
Of course, I assumed a responsibility the moment I became a public person through politics, and it is a responsibility that I aspire to carry in a positive way for the country all my life, in such a way that I continue touring the country precisely looking for unity From the campaign we do show that a different policy can be made, a policy with a vision and a policy that seeks unity.
15.- What is your greatest political success?
Having believed in youth, believing that Ecuadorians do not resign ourselves and being convinced that good and hard-working Ecuadorians are the majority.
16.- His biggest political sin?
A political sin would be to leave politics.
17.- An embarrassing moment
A lot, but we did it by leaving a message: when we made a video in which I dressed up as a widow, I had never dressed up as a widow. We ran a very responsible campaign, yes, irreverent, innovative, but very responsible, and there was a deep message there, which is that we Ecuadorians keep our traditions alive, which is what makes us authentic.
18.- The president accused him of blackmail, that he had asked for a tax reduction, what happened to that?
What I know is that I never asked him for anything. I don’t know why he said it, those foolish and lying statements. And I tell you, of course it has affected me, to date I have been submitting 20 processes, all in a timely and complete manner before the SRI (Internal Revenue Service), but not only the SRI, I have through all the companies and the my personal, ministries of Labor, Health, Environment, Industries and the IESS that each time arrive with more requirements. That is not what a state should do. If today we complain that there is abandonment of the State, how can one explain that a citizen is so important so that he is on the agenda and in the activities that the State should do instead of worrying about the citizens?
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19.- And how do you explain the SRI data regarding tax payments that say that in 2014 it was zero and from there there were variations of more than 1,200 dollars, 185 dollars until 2021, which were 4,289 dollars of taxation
What I can tell you is that I started from scratch, as an entrepreneur, with an idea, and as an entrepreneur, like the vast majority of entrepreneurs, we earn a low salary, so that they review the payments of the companies because the tax that you you pay is based on your income… Now the question, if you go to the SRI and you see the tax from the Nova company, it will tell you that I have paid zero income tax, I have documents, bankarization, all the support, paid $197,000, why do you get zero? Those are the questions one asks.
20.- And how much is your salary?
Right now it is bordering on 5,000 dollars.
21.- How many times were you invited by the government of Rafael Correo to travel in their delegations?
It is not the government of Rafael Correa that invited me, I was not close to him, what I was was an exporter who invited me to participate in trade missions and also you paid for the hotel and all the expenses, the The only contribution you had was that you were on a state plane. We do seek to open markets, I mention: the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, here in the Chile region, Argentina, obviously there were countries where broccoli was already sold, but we took the opportunity to find more customers, it is making a homeland, it is looking for a destination for Ecuadorian products That’s not doing politics.
22.- After those trips, did you develop a friendship with Correa?
On some occasion it was possible to have a very brief dialogue, but really having had a friendship relationship was never generated.
23.- How many people depend on your companies?
500 people
24.- Do you have money outside the country?
I have no investments or money outside the country
25.- What book has marked your life?
Personally there is a book that I love that is The little Prince Y Don Quixote and many times I read the Bible.
26.- It took him a month to ask Anastasia to marry him. It’s always that fast
Sometimes there are decisions that are born to you and nowadays I try to let myself be guided by my instincts.
27.- What did ‘she is’ tell you?
Many things. I met her on a flight that she shouldn’t be on, that I shouldn’t be on, on a flight that was cancelled, for which she made us spend about 14 hours in an airport talking and getting to know each other and against all odds, because she lived in a culture very different from mine, but because of my export work, every time I went to Germany, England, a European country, I took advantage and went one night to invite him to dinner in Moscow, where we got to know each other and he captivated me from the beginning.
28.- How many hours does an exporter with a political streak sleep?
I would like to sleep eight hours, when I do I am mentally very agile, the days that I sleep for five hours I spend a little mentally slow. But I sleep on average seven hours.
29.- When was the last time you went to the doctor?
Two months ago.
30.- Why?
Normal check-up, I am already 50 years old.
31.- What was the last concert you attended?
To Maluma’s, my wife was taking me.
32.- Did his wife take him or does he like Maluma?
It’s not among my favourites, but the last one was (Sebastián) Yatra and I do like that one. But my wife was taking me to both.
33.- What kind of music do you prefer?
Latin music, danceable, that is danceable I like a lot.
34.- What color is reflected in your mirror when you are in front of it?
I really like green, blue, and when I got involved in the campaign, the idea of even the orange socks came from my wife.
35.- What projects do you have pending?
I would love to be able to export products from the Coast, to have a freezer on the Coast. Ecuador is a rich country, we need to industrialize agriculture. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
