There was a time when I regularly frequented the so-called gossip press, whose headlines focused on piqued our interest in the lifestyles of celebrities or public figures of the moment. I remember my aunt collecting Hola, a Spanish magazine focused on news about monarchies, fashion and celebrity style, and because of his fascination and because he left them at my fingertips, I first encountered the imaginaries of elegance and ideal lives. I have to admit that I liked the quality, the paper size and the good resolution of the photos. There I read news about models from the nineties like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and the latest fashion trends set by Charlotte of Monaco or Diana of Wales.

(…) his leadership and his ineffectiveness in managing the basic demands of the people who elected him leave much to be desired.

Actors and actresses continue to excel in these spaces of recognition, which are now available to everyone, thanks to the possibilities and immediacy of digital media. I no longer participate in the ceremony of waiting, weekly or periodic tabloid delivery, waiting for the next news. We know that superficiality and pomposity are inherent in this style of press focused on the popularity of certain stars. Such characteristics attract my attention, but they do so in a way that fills me with confusion and disappointment, especially when they coincide with a president who simulates his last days in office like the covers of gossip magazines. We witness footage of their tours, meetings, cocktails and frozen smiles in the middle of a country that is falling apart every day.

According to that newspaper, Guillermo Lasso had been on 26 official trips until October 13. To this information should be added his recent visit to Bogota in search of solutions for the energy crisis that his government’s negligence has imposed on Ecuadorians. I understand that it is the president’s duty to attend meetings, dialogues and agreements with his colleagues and international organizations. However, his leadership and his ineffectiveness in addressing the basic demands of the people who elected him leave much to be desired. I don’t know what else can be concluded from these procedures and administrative style: lack of experience in public management, lack of an adequate team to face the country’s challenges, or simply lack of interest and will.

‘Ecuador will soon be among the three most violent countries in Latin America, so it’s not just a matter of perception’

The report Global Organized Crime Index places Ecuador in tenth place, which makes it one of the countries with the highest crime rate in the world. Criminal groups carry out violence every day and take advantage of the weakening of the state, which is unable to implement an effective security policy for its citizens. The daily panorama is overshadowed by the fear of vaccines affecting traders, robberies of citizens, kidnappings, closing schools due to the risk to students’ lives. Not to mention the endangered public space. Realities that overwhelm, despair and disturb the public image of a president who has proven to be able to look the other way and smile. For the days you have left, President, more government and fewer days of jet setting. (OR)