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1 1 (May 28, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/govepst0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service informing I m IegisiThve debate since 1914 Updated May 28, 2024 Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations Ecuador is an ethnically and geographically diverse country of 18.5 million people, encompassing portions of South America's Pacific coast, Amazon Basin, and Andean highlands. Guayaquil, a major port city, has become a transit hub for cocaine trafficked from neighboring Colombia and Peru, the world's largest cocaine producers (see Figure 1). Ecuador faces an acute security crisis, with gangs fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and prisons and seeking to influence politics. Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about the deteriorating security conditions in Ecuador. Congress enacted a framework to deepen economic and security ties with Ecuador in 2022 and may consider legislation to further strengthen bilateral ties. Current Pohtica Conditons Ecuador held snap general elections in August 2023 to elect a new president and parliament (National Assembly). President Daniel Noboa, the head of the center-right National Democratic Action (ADN) political coalition, took office in November 2023 to complete the term of his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023), after winning an October runoff vote. Lasso, who called the elections but did not run, had pushed for market-friendly political and economic reforms but faced opposition from Indigenous movements and a legislature dominated by leftist parties that had repeatedly tried to impeach him. The assassination of a presidential candidate and other political figures, allegedly by criminal groups, marred the 2023 elections. Voters also elected new members to the 137-member unicameral National Assembly and approved national and regional referenda to halt oil and mineral extraction in two ecologically sensitive regions. The leftist Citizens Revolution party (RC), tied to former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), won the most seats (51), followed by the anti-corruption Build Ecuador Movement (26), the conservative Social Christian Party and allies (18), and the ADN (14). President Noboa and the newly elected legislators are to serve until May 2025. Unlike President Lasso, whose minority government faced disruptive protests and impeachment attempts, President Noboa formed a legislative majority through a loose political alliance that included his ADN, the RC, and the Social Christian party. The alliance enacted several Noboa- backed economic and energy-related reforms but broke down after Ecuadorian forces invaded the Mexican embassy in Quito in April 2024 to detain former vice President and RC member Jorge Glas (2013-2018) on corruption charges; Glas had received asylum from Mexico. As a result, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with Ecuador. Ecuador and Mexico each have presented cases against the other in the International Court of Justice in relation to the incident. Figure I. Ecuador at a Glance Sources: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ecuador's National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (NISC), Trade Data Monitor (TDM). Security Crisis Ecuador has seen a rise in violence over the past four years, primarily due to increased competition among gangs affiliated with transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including Mexican cartels and Albanian crime groups. After being considered one of the safest countries in the region for decades, Ecuador saw a surge in homicides after the COVID-19 pandemic. Homicides reportedly reached 44.5 per 100,000 in 2023, among the highest rates in Latin America. High fatality riots in prisons, from which criminal groups reportedly run their operations, have plagued successive presidential administrations since 2020. These groups also are alleged to have infiltrated Ecuadorian politics and institutions; the attorney general alleges that she has uncovered extensive corruption networks linking politicians, judges, and law enforcement to criminal groups. In January 2024, President Noboa declared a state of emergency and internal armed conflict after the leader of Ecuador's largest gang, Los Choneros, escaped from prison and an acute wave of violence swept the country. The order limited some constitutional rights, designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations, and enabled the armed forces to conduct public security functions. The state of emergency expired on April 8, but a court order determined that the armed forces may continue to perform public security functions. Ecuadorians voted to formalize the armed forces' role in public security in an April 2024 referendum, approving eight additional security-related measures, including the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens.

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