(Reuters) – Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso will seek reelection in 2025 in a bid to implement social and economic policies he says have benefited the South American country’s inhabitants, he said on Tuesday.
Lasso, a conservative former banker who took over as president in May 2021, recently managed to conclude a financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and says he has boosted public investment and helped restore jobs.
Lasso was speaking in Washington after meeting with U.S President Joe Biden at the White House. Ecuador is seeking help from the United States to fight drug trafficking and also hopes to strike a trade deal.
“Ecuador’s constitution allows reelection just once, that will be in 2025,” Lasso, 67, said during a conference hosted by the Inter-American Dialogue think tank.
“In Washington, one gets a little emboldened and I can tell you that I’m not going to shy from that responsibility,” he added.
Ecuador’s economy is in “good health” after being battered by the coronavirus pandemic, Lasso said, adding that he is now focused on fighting drug trafficking, which has led to growing violence in the country’s streets and prisons.
Ecuador has seized more than 300 tonnes of cocaine since he took over, Lasso said.
Biden committed to deeper cooperation in Ecuador’s fight against violence and drug trafficking, the Ecuadorean government said in a statement, which will support efforts to strengthen the country’s judicial and prison systems, as well as maritime security.
Furthermore, Ecuador will receive $13.5 million to support micro-loans for women entrepreneurs and $20 million to help reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and combat illegal fishing, the statement added.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
