This Wednesday, May 24, the President of the Republic Guillermo Lasso presented the annual report to the nation in a different way, since after the dissolution of the National Assembly – where the report is given by law – he did so in the hall of the public building in Quito.

After defending the use of Article 148 of the Constitution, that of the death cross, the president devoted himself to talking about what his government had done, which met with criticism and understanding in different sectors.

Report to the nation: Guillermo Lasso evaluates his two years in government with these figures

Report to the nation: President Guillermo Lasso offers to establish a university and invest in scholarships

Several of our columnists also listened to the president and gave their opinion after this reportage, which could be Lasu’s last as president.

Gustavo Cortez, journalist, analyst and professor

“President Guillermo Lasso said he burned himself so that the president would never again be at the mercy of the Assembly. It is unlikely that the “sacrifice” will happen again, because it implies the elimination of both powers and another president, with a more effective political profession, can come out of the crisis without sacrificing himself.

The speech had a sad farewell tone, from the first sentence, lukewarm due to the reproach of “mafias”, but with absolutely successful economic data and very effective government efforts, from the president’s point of view. A very different vision from public perception, especially regarding security and health services. And that is absolutely contrary to the tarnished image of the country proclaimed by the opposition, which was supposed to depose him due to alleged embezzlement.

Saudia Levoyer, analyst and teacher

“President Guillermo Lasso’s report to the nation clearly had two messages. The first was to show that there are results in his administration, despite the constant political crisis that has followed him for the past two years. In this sense, he presented the figures of what he felt his government had done, especially in social issues (education, health, housing, bonds) and economic achievements, with their impact on the various economic sectors of the country. Presenting the figures was a strategy not only of transparency and promotion of his administration, but also a response to criticism about what exactly he did in these 24 months and the absence of an effective communication policy.

On the other hand, on an eminently political level, he divided his words into three fronts. The first was for the public forces, to whom he offered the necessary support to firmly face violence, weapons, support that is not only reflected in the equipment, but also in the support he gave them and which caused a long applause. The second was gratitude to his team, starting with the vice president, which showed the image of unity in the Government. And the third was to the political class and citizens in general, so that they seek a national agreement on poverty and security and vote consciously, after – in his opinion – he revealed his fight against corruption and the mafia, which had some support in political life. groups”.

Irene Torres, analyst

“The report to the nation of the President of the Republic shows us such a positive reality that it seems that Guillermo Lasso is the president of some other country, but one that is not even on this planet. Unemployment in Ecuador (3.3%) is nowhere near that of Spain (12.8%), a successful country that is not as dependent as we are on the export of raw materials. In this alternative world, the abolition of the unified entrance exam for higher education was a strategic move because the exam “annoyed and disturbed” Ecuadorian families. Likewise, the quotas have been increased without any study of the needs and the market because students have to study “what they want”.

But neither is real unemployment that low, nor will increasing higher education quotas solve anyone’s life. In the first application of the year, according to the academic offer search engine Senescyt, 5172 places for Economics and 5041 places for Business Administration. Everyone dreams of getting rich crunching numbers and managing staff in an area of ​​the economy that only needs graduates who have the requisite level of literacy (and they don’t) and who have the requisite trade skills that don’t require a third-level degree. Laso’s speech unfortunately reflects the most serious mistake of his administration: keeping an immeasurable distance from reality.

Mauricio Gándara Gallegos, analyst and former diplomat

“The report refers to some of the government’s achievements and makes little mention of the delicate political moment that Ecuador is experiencing, with the absence of how they plan to act in the chaotic situation created by the death on the cross. Nothing seems to have been decided about the participation of the president and his CREO party in the election process. Do they rule out re-election?

In contrast to the optimistic report, a report from the International Rating Agency appears today, downgrading the outlook for Ecuador from stable to negative. In the field of social what is current consumption is mixed again with what is real investment and therefore the amounts and budget percentages appear very high. In politics against drugs, there is no explanation that reconciles the high seizure of drugs (more than 400 tons in two years) with the fact that Ecuador has become one of the largest exporters through the Pacific and Atlantic routes. Border control appears to be very weak, as most of this export traffic goes through major ports. In the field of security, there were many congratulations, but the reality is far from satisfactory. in housingthe modest amount of housing solutions contrasts with the high demand for apartments. in education there was complacency when the abolition of entrance exams was mentioned as an achievement, even though this is the task of universities today. It sounded a bit demagogic. in health, Mentioned cases such as Mount Sinai Hospital, which received him naked and equipped; The hospital is not far from construction and it seems obvious that it had to be put into operation”.

Carlos de Tomaso, analyst

“The President issued his Report to the Nation mentioning the death cross as the greatest moral sanction for the Assembly and affirming that what he did ended the political crisis. What followed was a long explanation and defense of his social investments in health, education and housing, environmental achievements and debt renegotiation in favor of the Galapagos, bordering on the issue of security without answering serious criticism in all areas. to inefficient management and low execution of the budget. He underpins his current strength with the support he has from the Armed Forces and calls for a good vote in the next election

No one disputes the success in the seizure of drugs, but the failure was in the safety of citizens, without announcing different things to get different results.

I am not announcing whether he will be a candidate; the doubt will be cleared in the next six days.”

Gilda Macías Carmigniani, analyst

“President Lasso’s presentation of the Report to the nation left me with several questions. One before the process of possible participation in the extraordinary elections in August 2023, and the other before the report itself and the achievements corresponding to the period of 2022.

As for his participation, I wonder if the president’s silence is a strategy to create expectations in front of the known candidacies, and yet to be known, of his eventual opponents, or is it due to a prudent pause in the face of personal, family and/or health situations or the national and international political context. In other words, take a step back to better observe the edges of the abyss and decide the best option in the following days.

As for the report, it is difficult for me to evaluate what has been achieved in the fight against corruption, the war against the mafia, the seizure of drugs, the construction of public works or progress in security, health, education or housing issues, without being able to compare them with previously defined indicators, in quantitatively and qualitatively. Beyond my gratitude, the president seems to have the respect of his close associates.”

Fabian Corral, analyst

“In essence, the report emphasized a solution to the serious legacy fiscal deficit.

In the death cross, the presidential argument pointed to the fact that the political solution lies in the return of decision-making power to the people, through new elections.

The report did not place the expected emphasis on the political crisis. On the contrary, it focused on explaining the results in tax collection, education, healthcare, and housing. The president highlighted, in his opinion, enormous social investments of about 15 billion dollars. This is certainly contrary to the common opinion that such investments would rather be low.

The report confirms the thesis that the government supported from the beginning that investments, trade liberalization, loans and mechanisms of the capitalist economy, with the participation and patronage of the state, are the solution that supports the progress of the country. Against, on this issue, the lack of harmony between the government’s proposals and efforts, with the lack of legislative activity and the purely political profile of the opposition. Notorious was the failure to mention judicial issues, the decisions of which on several occasions actually deviated from the Government’s efforts.

The issue of national security closed the presidential report. The President clearly and decisively emphasized the dimension of this problem and her commitment to fighting it.

After reading the detailed report, an unbiased viewer can conclude that the community is only now finding out about numerous problems that were hidden due to the lack of communication capacity of the authorities, and perhaps due to too much privileging of political topics.

(OR)