Central Organ of the Communist Party of Ecuador — ML (PCMLE).

On March 16, comrade Mariano Santos Nieto ceased to exist; a painful illness ended his life. But he will continue in the memory of the militants of our Party, in those who knew him as a revolutionary of integrity, in the memories of the workers together with whom he fought for many years.

Those who knew Mariano when he was studying at the Polytechnic School of the Coast emphasize the role he played at the head of the student strike that began in June and ended in October 1972, which caused “the emergence of a new Polytechnic.” His profession as an Engineer in Geology, Mines, and Petroleum allowed him to know and understand our country better. Working in the oil fields, he experienced closely the bubbling up of a wealth of the subsoil that, converted into millions of dollars, ended up in the vaults of the international banks, while the areas from which it was extracted inherited abandonment and its inhabitants inherited misery.

Mariano was president of the College of Geologists, Mines, and Petroleum Engineers of Ecuador; he was the workers’ representative to the Board of EP-PETROECUADOR; President of the Works Council of the Workers of PETROPRODUCCION (CENAPRO); member of the Executive Committee of FETRAPEP (National Federation of Oil Workers of EP-PETROECUADOR). An important part of his intellectual work led him to investigate and denounce the country’s oil problems, becoming an expert who exposed the dirty games that the governments and oil companies carried out with hydrocarbon wealth.

His physical limitations caused by an illness that befell him several years ago did not prevent or limit Mariano in the fulfillment of his political responsibilities as a militant of our Party. That is why he was always loved and admired by his comrades.

On learning of his passing, comrades from fraternal parties sent us notes of condolences. He was known for his participation in events as an exhibitor and also for his contribution as a translator at international meetings.

Our Party has lost a great militant. We express our solidarity with his wife, Maria, and his entire family. May Mariano’s example feed the impetus of the new generations of Marxist-Leninist communist militants!

En Marcha #2041, March 22–28, 2023.

Categories: Ecuador, International