Ecuador expands Jóvenes en Acción cash-transfer program to 700,000

President Daniel Noboa announced on October 1 that the Jóvenes en Acción program will expand from 150,000 to 700,000 beneficiaries. The move, framed as social policy, raises concerns about clientelism ahead of elections, echoing Chavista-style vote-buying tactics. The expansion's funding source and targeting criteria remain unclear, and its political timing suggests electoral motives.