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Gustavo Larrea “Eventually I meet with the President to have a talk”
Posted On 21 Nov 2017
Ecuadornews:
Today, from 09:00, the activists of “Democracia Sí” will march from El Arbolito to the Plaza Grande to support the consultation. The president Lenin Moreno will receive them in Carondelet.Gustavo Larrea has returned to the political arena at the head of “Democracia Sí”, movement that, according to him, has 660,000 adherents.
They support the popular consultation promoted by the Executive. Currently he has a tight schedule. In the 35 minutes that this interview lasted, in its office, in the north of Quito, 10 people wait to be attended. At the meeting he acknowledged his friendship with President Lenin Moreno, but denied being his private adviser.
Are you working on a new majority in the Assembly?
The majority of PAIS chose to support President Moreno and that is a decision of them and not of us. I have absolutely nothing to do. Sometimes they are looking for culprits outside Alianza Pais. There are problems due to the previous political leadership, which generated concentration of power, authoritarianism, corruption, and errors are paid.
“Democracia Sí” raises a new economic model focused on the productive and the generation of employment, are you satisfied by the current model?
There is a transition to a model whose axis is production and employment. In economic terms, the country has lived on oil revenues, excess of taxes and huge external debt. We have to live from production and, in that sense, the measures that President Moreno has adopted are aimed at this, that is to say, the restriction of public spending and the waste in which we lived.
Which is a model that has the Economic Front of the previous administration and has been questioned?
Very well questioned, I believe that the right to liberties is to be questioned. There are problems there.
Should it leave?
It is a problem that the President must solve. There are problems in the Economic Front because not everyone is committed to a model that has production and employment as its axis. It is necessary to build a new model because they (correístas) failed and deceived the country.
Did they fail since day 1?
They failed as a political project because they did not understand the historical course of the nation.
Do you see yourself as President?
No, it’s not my interest, I want to contribute to my country from where I am. I do not need to take on any role to support and bet on working for the country.
At the last convention I saw you surrounded by Paco Moncayo and Mery Zamora. Can they join Democracia si?
In fact, we are united in favor of the Yes in the consultation. All the progressive sectors. The union can be projected in the future, but for now in favor of the consultation; Step by Step.
Is the objective with Democracia Sí the sectionals of 2019?
Yes it is a mechanism and a way, but it is not our objective. Our goal is to change the country. We work on a serious and future proposal, ‘Ecuador 2030’, for all provinces and cantons. We will discuss with the citizens a proposal for the future.
How many candidates would Democracia Si have?
We have not discussed the issue, for now we want to culminate with the provincial and cantonal conventions. Then we will discuss candidacies. We will not go alone, we will look for wider platforms of unity.
What objective does the movement pursue?
First of all defending democracy. In addition, we are currently training militancy on issues of consultation.
What is the budget?
It is difficult to establish because all work is self-financed. We have economic problems, we are not an organization linked to sectors of great economic power, but to the middle and popular classes, but there are also businessmen.
Is there a risk of losing in the consultation?
The query is not won. If the elections were this weekend it would be won, but we hope that when they are given we can win; you have to work for it.
Could Democracia si replace AP?
They are two different dynamics in two different historical moments. Their mistakes are a form of learning. We do not seek retribution with anyone. We want to build the future, we do not want to be in sterile fights.
Why did it come out of “la revolution ciudadana”?
Because of background discrepancies with the former president on the concentration of power. For those of us who fight against military dictatorships, setbacks in the gains are unacceptable.
When did Correa change?
In the 2009 elections it took a deep turn. He made a caudillista project – personal and not a collective / citizen project. Here there was a great farce and great fraud.
Apart from being friends with the President, are you behind executive management?
No, the President has clear leadership of the country and is doing very well. As a movement we support this process.
Have you not advised him?
No, I believe that the exact word is not that, but confluence in what the President is doing, and he does it well.
But are there photos of you leaving Carondelet?
But that is demonizing the subject; They even said that I had an office there. There has been an attack. This is a big lie.
When was the last time you visited Carondelet?
It wold be a month or a month and a half ago. We talked because I’m a friend of the President. Eventually, I meet with him to talk, to talk about our families, about us, about our friendships. It’s a friendship relationship, but I cannot tell you that I do not talk about politics because I do it. (I)
