Cuenca city council goes on record against Loma Larga gold mine, cites 2022 referendum vote; Experts say the ‘other González’ was star of Sunday’s debate

The Cuenca municipal council on Friday unanimously passed a resolution opposing the massive Loma Larga gold mine south of the city. The vote also supported the right of protesters who object to the project and criticized the government for posting a large number of police and soldiers at the protest site.

“The people of Cuenca, by an overwhelming 80% vote, resolved to defend their water sources and water quality from metal mining in the 2022 referendum,” said Mayor Cristian Zamora, referring to the resolution. The mayor also complained of “government intimidation” of protesters in Victoria del Portete. “They are outnumbered two-to-one by law enforcement people, many armed with machine guns,” he added. “These are farmers who live nearby the project whose lives depend on a reliable source of clean water.”

Protesters at the proposed Loma Larga mine site in Victoria del Portete were surrounded by police and military personnel last week.

Ecuador’s Mining Ministry accuses the protesters of disrupting negotiations for the mine project. The ministry claims a small group of activists is preventing it and Canadian Dundee Precious Metals from continuing a “peaceful and productive consultation” with residents of Victoria del Portete, near the proposed mine site.

The Mining Ministry says a mining concession was granted Dundee five years before Cuenca’s referendum and that environmental studies proved there would be no impact on water quality.

Protesters claim the government’s consultation with the public is a “formality without consequences” and that in previous consultations the government has ignored public objections.

Loma Linda is the second large mining project in the Cuenca canton to be challenged by protesters. The Chinese-owned Rio Blanco mine near Molleturo was already in operation when protesters forced its closure in 2019. Government efforts to reopen it have failed and the mine remains closed.

Experts say the ‘other González’ was star of Sunday’s debate
Although political analysts agree Sunday’s presidential debate will not change the outcome of the February 9 election, they say it may have produced “a future star.” In post-debate commentary, most analysts agreed that Andrea González of the Patriotic Society party had the best showing of the 16-candidate field.

“She will not surge to the top because of her performance – Noboa and Luisa González are safe in their leading positions – but she positioned herself well for future elections,” said television host Andres Astudillo, referring to her as the “other González.”

According to Astudillo, González presented a “smart and comprehensive approach” to fighting organized crime and did not make populist promises that cannot be kept. “She also positioned herself as a strong opponent of Correismo, which could be a winning formula in future elections.”

Andrea González was the running mate of Fernando Villavicencio in 2023 before his assassination but was then replaced by Christian Zurita at the top of the ticket in the election.

In a real-time survey of the debate, the Center for Research and Specialized Studies (CIEES) confirmed Andrea González’s strong showing. In her debate session, she outpolled Luisa González 42% to 31% for giving the best answers.

Combining the two debates, President Daniel Noboa led CIEES polling at 35% followed by Luisa González with 28% and Andrea González with 19%.