Ecuador president calls for dialogue with indigenous on second day of protests

FILE PHOTO: People protest against the economic policies of conservative Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso, days after he raised gasoline prices, in Guayaquil, Ecuador October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Vicente Gaibor del Pino

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso on Wednesday called for dialogue following a second day of demonstrations by indigenous and civil society groups against gasoline price rises, and said his government would keep security forces on highways to maintain order.

Thousands of demonstrators marched on Tuesday in rejection of Lasso's increase of the price of gasoline extra, a cheaper gasoline that is Ecuador's most-used fuel, to a fixed $2.55 a gallon, and diesel to $1.90 a gallon.