 For more videos on people's struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hello and welcome to People's Dispatch. I'm Zoe and I'm reporting from Quito, Ecuador, where on Sunday, April 11th, 13 million Ecuadorians will have the opportunity to participate in the second round of presidential elections. The runoff elections will be held between Andrés Araus of the Progressive Union for Hope Coalition and Guillermo Lasso of the Conservative Creating Opportunities Party and Social Christian Party Coalition. With just five days out from the polls, we at People's Dispatch will take you through some of the key developments and things to look out for in the upcoming week leading to the elections. On Saturday, April 3rd, Conay President Jaime Vargas made a historic announcement in support of Andrés Araus in the Union for Hope ticket. Conay is the Confederation of Indigenous Nationals of Ecuador and is one of the largest and most important social forces in the history of Ecuador. The announcement, however, was met with backlash from some sectors of the Indigenous movement who are allied with the Pachacutic Party. They will be casting a blank ballot in Sunday's polls in rejection of both candidates. However, Jaime Vargas is joined by a slew of other Indigenous leaders across the country and organizations. While Progressive Candidate Andrés Araus has one support from key social sectors across the board, Guillermo Lasso has faced harsh backlash for his support and what many see as a continuation of the Lenin Moreno repressive neoliberal stance. In Guamote on April 2nd, Guillermo Lasso attempted to hold a campaign rally. However, the Indigenous community rallied and mobilized a road blockade to prohibit the entrance of his vehicle to the town. The community alleged that Guillermo Lasso had applauded and even supported the repressive actions of the Lenin Moreno government against the Indigenous popular uprising in October of 2019. The brutal state repression during the uprising cost from as many as 7 to 11 lives and 1,500 were injured. The community of Guamote itself was hard hit by the state repression in October 2019 as they lost one of their own, Edgar Yucaya, to the repressive actions of the state. They declared, the right wing is not welcome here and did not allow Lasso to hold his campaign events. Amid the electoral process, the COVID-19 pandemic has been raging across Ecuador. Confirmed cases and number of deaths have been swiftly increasing and this led Lenin Moreno, the president of Ecuador, to decree a state of emergency in eight provinces of the country. This state of emergency includes measures which include the restriction on mobility, restriction on large gatherings, a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. as well as other measures. Progressive candidate Andrés Arauz has alerted that the state of emergency could constitute a threat to democracy. He explains that within the state of emergency, the president has afforded certain abilities which allow him to modify electoral proceedings and protocols. He warns that in the context of constant threats to democracy, which have taken place since the beginning of the process, that anything could happen and that people must remain alert on the electoral process in Ecuador. From People's Dispatch, we'll be with you all week, following the latest developments in Ecuador and what's happening with the electoral process. Stay tuned and keep watching People's Dispatch.