Ecuador holds parallel marches as government and social groups mobilise nationwide: Video

In Guayaquil, President Daniel Noboa led a massive rally framed as a “March for Peace and Security”. At the same time, in Quito and more than 20 provinces, opposition groups filled the streets to denounce what they call his authoritarian drift, economic mismanagement, and disregard for social demands.

The government march was highly choreographed. Noboa appeared flanked by his mother and lawmaker Annabella Azin on one side and intelligence chief Michele Sensi Contugi on the other, while thousands of supporters dressed in white filled the streets. Official estimates put the crowd at over 80,000. The president used the moment to urge Ecuadorians to push forward with his referendum proposals, still under review by the Constitutional Court. “This will be the final battle”, he declared. His interior minister, John Reimberg, went further, criticising the nine Constitutional Court judges for allegedly blocking reforms demanded by citizens.

In contrast, the opposition’s demonstrations, led in Quito by union leaders, Indigenous representatives, and educators, carried a very different message. “Noboa is a dictator in training. He is a petty dictator who does not respond to public policies. A petty dictator who continues to govern for Yankee imperialism. It is clear that he has betrayed the Ecuadorian people”, said Nelson Erazo, president of the Popular Front. Andrés Quishpe, leader of the National Union of Educators, accused Noboa of pushing an $80 million referendum that “will not resolve the lack of jobs, medicines, or school textbooks” while pressuring the Constitutional Court, “the only institution he has not yet taken over”.

Demonstrations against Noboa spread across much of the country. The United Workers’ Front reported marches in Santo Domingo, Chimborazo, Manabí, Cotopaxi, Orellana, Azuay, Esmeraldas, Morona Santiago, Sucumbíos, Tungurahua, and Imbabura, among others. In Quito, protesters attempted to reach the historic centre, chanting “Fuera Noboa” (“Out, Noboa”), before police responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds. Teachers and health workers demanded an end to mass layoffs and called on the Constitutional Court to halt cuts in education and health.

Analysts see these simultaneous mobilisations as part of a struggle to control the political narrative. Political scientist Mariasol Pons noted that while Noboa’s march was smaller than his August mobilisation, it was better organised and more focused, designed to project unity without directly targeting the Court. Yet, she added, the government’s insistence on framing the Court as an obstacle suggests that the marches serve as indirect pressure ahead of the referendum. “It could be a way of warming up the streets, keeping citizens alert ahead of a vote that will be seen less as a response to the questions and more as a referendum on Noboa himself”, she explained.

Constitutional scholar Esteban Ron argued that the president’s use of Guayaquil — a traditional bastion of political power — was a calculated move to project dominance in a territory contested by opposition leaders. But he questioned the logic of state-led marches: “It is the government demanding from the government. Who are they asking for peace from? Organised crime will not be swayed by these demonstrations”. He also warned that the rallies reflect “empty, scattered strategies” with limited impact.

For Noboa’s critics, however, the meaning is clear. “The social struggle is growing in response to the abandonment of health, education, hospitals, and security”, said Erazo. Whether this marks the beginning of a larger wave of mobilisations or simply a symbolic show of force remains to be seen. But both the government and the opposition appear to be testing the same battleground — Ecuador’s streets — in anticipation of a defining political confrontation.