Jaime Hurtado
Jaime Ricaurte Hurtado González was an Ecuadorian politician of African descent aligned with the Democratic People's Movement, a deputy in the Ecuadorian parliament, and at the time of his death was standing for election to the Ecuadorian presidency.
Biography
Childhood
Born in the abandoned parish of Malimpia in Quinindé, a canton of Esmeraldas, one of the many forgotten areas of the country. It was a February 7, 1937, his parents were Esteban Hurtado and Pastora Gonzalez, who were illiterate.His life was made in the country. There he lived and worked his first years. In the midst of the agricultural labors he performed with his parents and siblings, he wove his dreams and hopes. It was also dedicated to the cultivation of banana, cane and coconut. At the age of 10, he began his studies in the city of Esmeraldas at the "21 de Septiembre" School after having dedicated himself to helping his parents. although at school he continued to do so, dedicating himself thus when he finished the school day to clean the shoes and later to help his parents in the small bar that they administered until dawn.
Sports Activity
He studied high school in the "5 de Agosto" College of the province´s capital, an institution that granted him a scholarship to finish his studies at the "Eloy Alfaro" School, in the city of Guayaquil, where he developed an intense sports activity in basketball and athletics.He was selected from basketball by the province of Esmeraldas, in the College "Eloy Alfaro". He developed his physical qualities with great success in the athletic activity. Represented to the Province of Guayas by several occasions. He won the gold medal in triple jump, javelin and discus throw, 110 meters hurdles and 1,500 meters flat. As a basketball player, he joined the Atlétic and Emelec clubs.
University life
His higher studies were carried out at the University of Guayaquil, where he started and actively participated in politics. He was president of the Association School of Law, and a candidate for the Presidency of the Federation of University Students of Ecuador, FEUE.Political life
In 1966, he joined the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador, reaching the Central Committee and the Political Bureau of the PCMLE, he would be a prominent figure alongside the indigenous activists Dolores Cacuango and Tránsito Amaguaña also with the priest Leónidas Proaño in the social struggles against the military dictatorships of Ramón Castro Jijón, Clemente Yerovi, José María Velasco Ibarra, Guillermo Rodríguez Lara and Alfredo Poveda, from his first years as a union leader, he stood out as a staunch defender of the communist and socialist movements in Ecuador, it would be evidenced in his support of the student leader Milton Alfredo Reyes, the Guerrilla del Toachi and the group ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!. He participated in the founding of the Popular Democratic Movement in 1978, first serving as a candidate for vice president in a duo that was not allowed to participate in the elections. The National Electoral Council recognized the legal status of the MPD. Later, the MPD obtained its recognition, and he was elected a national deputy in 1979. After the return to democracy, he was the first legislator of Afro-Ecuadorian ethnicity.During his first term as a deputy, he advocated for the restoration of the legal status of the National Union of Educators and the Federation of Secondary Students, which had been eliminated by the Velasquismo and the military dictatorship., although he identified himself as a leader of the left-wing socialist and the Ecuadorian communist front, its trajectory was marked by constant confrontations with the center-left and center parties, given the policies of President Jaime Roldós led him to establish a firm opposition to his mandate, aligning himself with Assad Bucaram, León Febres-Cordero, Otto Arosemena and Carlos Arosemena who led the opposition to Roldós' government, However, his relationship with these congressmen was ambiguous and conflictive. In Congress, he alternated moments of support and disagreement, evidencing a critical stance that was not subordinated to circumstantial alliances. As an opponent of the regime of Jaime Roldós Aguilera and Oswaldo Hurtado, he was described by the former as one of the "patriarchs of the compromise." This attitude also earned him strong criticism from the first lady Martha Bucaram, the minister of government Roberto Dunn, and members close to the presidential family, including Abdalá Bucaram.
Following the tragic death of President Jaime Roldós and First Lady Martha Bucaram, he once again took a central place in the opposition, this time confronting the government of Osvaldo Hurtado. His critical stance generated tensions with the ruling party and with sectors that claimed Roldós' legacy, who accused him of political opportunism. He would be one of the most influential figures of the 1980s. In 1982, he participated in the founding of the General Union of Workers of Ecuador. In 1984, he participated as a candidate for the presidency of the Republic, in tandem with Alfonso Yánez, being the first Afro-Ecuadorian to seek such a position. Despite not being elected, he would be one of the main figures of the opposition to left-wing ideology. during the term of President León Febres-Cordero, he led multiple complaints against the regime, pointing out serious human rights violations. Among his main accusations are the actions of the Death Squads, the death of the teacher Consuelo Benavides, the persecution of the group ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!, and the forced disappearance of the Restrepo brothers. He also denounced the corruption scandals and embezzlement of public funds involving members close to the president, such as Joffre Torbay, Xavier Neira, and Ramiro Larrea. Meanwhile, from the Social Christian Party, he was accused of being part of a media campaign orchestrated by Abdalá Bucaram, who was self-exiled in Panama, and of turning the Restrepo brothers case and kidnapping of Cordero into a political spectacle.
After the end of the León Febres-Cordero government, they would again participate in the 1988 Ecuadorian presidential elections with the Efraín Álvarez Fiallo duo. During this period, he established himself as one of the main opponents of President Rodrigo Borja. From the Democratic Left and centrist parties, they harshly questioned Hurtado for his ambiguous political stance and for his support of the opposition led by the Social Christian Party and the Ecuadorian Roldosista Party. He would also take part in union demonstrations and MPD supporters, supporting the historic indigenous mobilization of 1990, in which Communities across the country demanded recognition, rights, and dignity from the Borja government, and firmly denounced the legislative pact between the Social Christians and the Roldosistas who sought to pardon former President León Febres-Cordero of acts of corruption and crimes against humanity during his administration, in exchange for not prosecuting Abdalá Bucaram, then exiled in Panama.
In 1992, he would support the candidacy of Fausto Moreno in the 1992 elections. Soon, he returned to occupy a place in the opposition against the president of Sixto Durán Ballén, this time alongside various sectors of the left and the political center of the country. Tensions with the government of Sixto Durán-Ballén intensified as a result of the energy crisis and the unpopular implementation of the so-called "Sixto Hour", which symbolized the blackouts and citizen unrest. From his party, he supported the impeachment of Vice President Alberto Dahik and promoted legal actions against the president himself in the Flores and Milei cases. In 1995, he joined the campaign for the "No" in the referendum promoted by the government, the ruling party, for on the other hand, he accused his party of fomenting panic and turning the national crisis into a political spectacle. They held him responsible for amplifying discontent during the Cenepa War and for using the energy situation as a tool to undermine the institutions.
During 1996, he supported the candidacy of his colleague Juan José Castelló in the 1996 elections, given the public's discontent with the Social Christian Party. Following the line of Pachakutik, he supported the candidacy of the Roldosism of Abdalá Bucaram against Jaime Nebot. Once President Abdalá Bucaram took office, he was one of the main denouncers against Minister Alfredo Adum. The latter would insult him with racist epithets and also accuse members of the MPD. as traitors for their opposition to President Abdalá Bucaram, sought to encourage impeachment proceedings against Alfredo Adum and the president's son Abdalá Bucaram in the management of customs, as well as opening an investigation by the Attorney General's Office for the repressive role of the "Pepudos", the personal bodyguards of the president's sons, would have a prominent role due to the public complaints against members of the President's Cabinet, in 1997 given the corruption scandals and the elimination of the gas subsidy, he called on all members of the Popular Front where they led everyone along with opposition leaders Jaime Nebot and Fabián Alarcón in the multiple demonstrations for the dismissal of President Abdalá Bucaram, after the dismissal of Abdalá Bucaram and the rise to power of Fabian Alarcón, he opposed the referendum that was held that year to modify the constitution, in 1998 he supported the candidacy of his partner María Eugenia Lima for the presidency of the country in the same way, he participated in the legislative elections where he would be elected as National Deputy to the Congress of the MPD together with Iván Rodríguez, his parliamentary activity was characterized by his denunciations of acts of corruption, in which he came to involve the government with drug trafficking, and the defense of the interests of the working class.