Former banker Guillermo Lasso becomes president in Ecuador

Former banker Guillermo Lasso was sworn in as president of Ecuador, saying he will escalate efforts to vaccinate people to protect them from COVID-19 and work to revive an economy hit hard by the pandemic

QUITO, Ecuador -- Former banker Guillermo Lasso was sworn in as president of Ecuador on Monday, saying he will escalate efforts to vaccinate people to protect them from COVID-19 and work to revive an economy hit hard by the pandemic. So far, Ecuador has vaccinated just 3% of the total population of 17 million, and the country is struggling with high unemployment and debt levels. Lasso wants his new government to vaccinate nine million people in his first 100 days in office, and he has reached out to pharmaceutical companies in the United States, China and Russia in hopes of reaching that goal. “It will not be a government that only promises,″ said 65-year-old Lasso, who was elected in April in his third run for the presidency, replacing President Lenín Moreno. “As Ecuadorians, we all share the same destiny, it is everyone’s obligation to assume the challenges that the future imposes on us, enormous challenges that cannot be faced in isolation,” Lasso said.