The year that is drawing to a close is probably the most difficult of this millennium in national politics. Not only because of the violent horrors that happened, but also because of the few institutional and even social responses to that everyday violence.

Without a doubt, the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio is a mark of blood that leaves a stain on our democracy forever. The absurd theses that even the fugitives put forward a few minutes after the atrocious crime set the tone of selfishness and disrespect that characterize powerful national politicians. They have no regard for the people who appreciated the politics of the murdered man, his relatives and Ecuador in general, which deserves much more than these butchers whose goal is impunity.

Lesson

Cartoons from our politics: Ecuador finds new ways to reinvent itself. The inauguration of death on the cross has at least the merit of dispelling myths and fears: hopefully in the future there will be greater accountability for those who use this alternative. Without the legislative power for several months, the executive power remained incompetent, did not solve anything. The country did not suffer international punishment for using the new constitutional tool as many analysts had predicted. A party that lives on obstruction as it tries to rule again has lost the second round to a neophyte with no political skills. At least a few characters from the worst legislature in history will not be returning.

It is particularly shocking to see that these two events, hopefully unrepeatable in the future, did not cause the expected change in leaders and their political organizations. Even those elected have not shown the maturity necessary to face the economic crisis and the violence that is ravaging the country. There is not even an iota of unity to legally and govern against these problems, on the contrary, we are already seeing the beginning of the next election campaign with feints of fights and agreements of manipulation.

“…on the piano lid”

Neither fools nor fools

However, December gives us Quito residents a metro that promises more dignified and safer mobility in the capital. Something that, unfortunately, has been implemented for a long time due to the weakness of mayors who do not understand that citizens are the backbone of the reorganization of the transport system, not private bus and taxi carriers. If the mayors stop acting in front of the cameras with the aim of re-election, they will have the opportunity to do their job well and continue to engage in politics, and for that they will have to leave the ghetto of their parties, which is unlikely.

Prosecutor Diana Salazar shows how much Afro women of modest origin are braver and more capable than the vast majority of men who held that and all the highest state positions. Their actions illuminate the way to restructure the justice system that has long been the main cause of most of the nation’s misfortunes due to the maintenance of impunity for corruption. We hope that this impulse will infect law schools and unions so that with ethics and courage they will heal not only the metastases of drug-criminal infiltration into the judicial system, but also the politicians who manipulate this primal and independent function of the Republic. (OR)