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Yaku Pérez: The New Face of Ecuador’s Left?

By Brendan O’Boyle

With an environmentalist message, Yaku Pérez has become the dark horse candidate in Ecuador's presidential race.

The rainbow colors of the Wiphala, a symbol of indigenous identity in the Andes, surround Yaku Pérez Guartambel as he attempts to make history: If elected in Ecuador’s presidential election on February 7, the lawyer and environmentalist would be the country’s first indigenous president Pérez’s rise is surprising Less than 10% of Ecuador’s population identifies as indigenous, and indigenous candidates have not traditionally had success in national elections And yet, Pérez, who has made ancestral themes and language central to his campaign, is polling among the top three...

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