厄瓜多尔政府就取消燃油价格补贴等与土著居民达成协议

Ecuador’s Moreno Cancels Spending Cuts in Big Win for Indigenous¹ Groups

Ecuadorean President Lenín Moreno has officially canceled his own law to cut government subsidies² on fuel prices.

Moreno signed a declaration overturning the law on Monday. The move came after days of protests against the measure. The cancellation³ returned fuel prices to their former levels.

The Associated Press described the signing as a blow to Moreno’s presidency⁴, and said it leaves big questions about the finances of the oil-producing nation. But the move represents a win for Ecuador's indigenous communities, who led the protests.

The clashes marked the latest in a series of political protests resulting from reform plans supported by the International Monetary⁵ Fund (IMF). Across Central and South America, political divisions have caused unrest as governments seek to fix underlying⁶ economic problems.

Moreno's law ended 40 years of government support for low oil prices. The measure was estimated to have freed up nearly $1.5 billion per year in the government’s budget. That money would have helped shrink Ecuador’s financial deficit⁷ as required under a deal Moreno signed with IMF officials.

However, the measure was widely unpopular and incited⁸ days of protests. The government ordered the military to enforce a curfew around major public offices, airports and oil production centers. Yet the unrest turned increasingly violent.

Moreno gave in to the chief demand of the demonstrators late on Sunday. A few hours later, he published a message on social media. "We have opted⁹ for peace," it read.

Later on Monday, he signed the document officially overturning the law. He said that the government would seek to define a new plan for the fuel subsidies that does not help the wealthy or smugglers.

For now, Moreno's actions brought much-needed calm to Quito, Ecuador’s capital. People there began to establish order and clear away the barriers that had appeared in recent days.

Indigenous leader Jaime Vargas told reporters, "We have freed the country."

The protests had grown increasingly chaotic¹⁰ after the government launched operations against what it called extremists who had joined the protesters.

Officials reported that some military vehicles, a local television station and a government office were set on fire.

One of the government's first concerns will be to restart oil production. Production stopped in some areas after protesters broke into processing centers.

"We need to re-establish oil production," said Energy Minister Carlos Perez. He added that Ecuador stopped producing about 2 million barrels of oil during the protests. Perez added, "I expect things to be back to normal in about 15 days."

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

chaotic – adj. in a state of complete confusion or disorder¹¹

indigenous – adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment

opt(ed) – v. to make a choice

smugglers – n. people who move someone or something from one country into another illegally and secretly

subsidies – n. money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue to function

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 incited   

刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
• The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

9 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

10 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

11 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。