For the first time in Ecuador, a prior consultation on mining exploitation was carried out. Residents of two parishes in Cuenca: Victoria de Portete and Tarqui decided yesterday that they do NOT agree with the large-scale mining project (Open Pit) of Quimsacocha (gold deposit) moving to the extraction phase. The question was: Do you agree with mining activity in the water sources of Quimsacocha?
The Mining Law establishes that “citizen participation or consultation processes must consider a special procedure that is mandatory for communities, peoples and nationalities in cases where mining exploration or exploitation is carried out on their ancestral lands and territories, and when such work may affect their interests.”
The community democratic exercise was attended by 15 international and national observers, including the Chilean César Padilla (Mining Conflicts Observatory for Latin America); Katu Arkonado (Basque journalist, from Lemonde); Theta Río Franco (University of Pennsylvania) and the nationals Humberto Cholango (President of CONAIE); Delfín Quishpe, member of that organization; Lourdes Tibán (Assembly member of Pachakutik); Elsi Monge (Human Rights), among others.
The final report was signed by the president of the Electoral Court, Martha Arévalo, and the members Lauro Sigcha, Jacinto Torres and María Paute. Carlos Pérez, president of the Federation of Peasant Communities of Azuay, a branch of the Water System of the parishes of Tarqui and Victoria del Portete, said that the results are “a popular mandate” and that the State must respect them, despite the fact that this election did not have official endorsement.
Meanwhile, the Government of Ecuador, which despite the rhetoric of the Rights of Nature and Sumak Kawsay promotes open-pit mining in our country, was quick to declare on the website of the Presidency of the Republic that the consultation is illegal. Delfín Tenesaca, President of the Kichwa Confederation of Ecuador, Ecuarunari, responded by stating that the community consultation was an exercise in defense of collective rights.
SOURCES: Hoy, El Universo, La Hora newspapers and the website of the Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador.
EN 
ES_ES