Still, Gonzalez’s Indigenous supporters emphasize that she is not a Correa. And they say Novoa could get worse.
“Novoa is a neoliberal fascist,” Tacos said. “If he wins again, we won’t stop him.”
Young Novoa, son of Alvaro Novoa, whose candidate Correa was defeated in each of the three elections, came to power in the 2023 Snap election.
So far, during his one and a half years of office, Novore expanded its massive exterior mines and oil concessions. He also pledged to build the largest security prisons on Indigenous territory.
To pursue these projects, critics say they bypassed the legal right of consent that Indigenous people have in Ecuador before launching resource projects on the land.
However, Novore repeatedly responded to indigenous protests by deploying security forces.
For example, when Indigenous leaders protested Canadian mining activities in the Paroque Mad territory of Cotopaxi, Novoa’s administration was sent to the military, causing at least 36 people to be injured.
The prosecutor’s office ultimately accused 70 protesters of “terrorism” and condemned 45 more “organized crime.” The UN Human Rights Representative in South America met with protestor lawyers in June 2024. Protesters have been put out of prison, but their lawsuits are still ongoing.
“This territory is not indigenous,” they told us,” said Dioserinda Isa, an indigenous activist and former MICC president who participated in the protest.
She sees Novoa’s reelection as an imminent threat. “If Nobore wins, they’ll come back and kill people.”
For Dioserinda and her fellow Indigenous leaders, voting for Gonzalez is simply a choice between two less evils.
“I’m voting for RC, but it’s embarrassing,” Tacos said, adding that it’s similar to choosing a more strategic opponent. “I’m choosing who to fight.”
Tacos added that government changes can tackle the benefits of Indigenous peoples.
For example, if Gonzalez is elected, the RC “must stand up quickly to change ministers,” Tacos explained. “And that gives us a little time to breathe.”
Even those who oppose Gonzalez’s candidacy agree that Ecuadorian indigenous political movements need to be prepared for conflict.
“One of the two candidates wins and the Indigenous moves need to be ready to fight,” Guaman said.
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