Jan Topić’s candidacy for president of Ecuador has been officially confirmed. Topić is the son of telecommunications magnate and owner of Telconet Tomislav Topić from Guayaquil. He was educated at Harvard and UPenn (University of Pennsylvania), he is an economist and national security expert by profession, and the founder and owner of the largest security company in Ecuador, which employs 2,000 people. He is not a member of any party, but the Christian Social Party is behind him in his candidacy. He calls on all parties, regardless of their affiliation, to unite for the benefit of the citizens. He says that he wants to stop the chaos and violence that reigns in Ecuador. As a soldier, he was on the battlefields of Syria, Africa and Ukraine and watched the destruction of millennial cultures and believes that it is time to introduce order. He does not present himself as a politician, but as an economist and security expert, who has a plan, team and determination to bring peace, to work on healthcare, education and employment in the country. As one of the main, and I dare say the most challenging tasks, is to put an end to the drug cartels and clean the prisons of delinquents, and eradicate corruption in the police and the army. Only then, Topić believes, will it be possible to facilitate foreign investments and restore the economy, develop tourism and productive sectors. He wants to gather around him capable, incorruptible people who have the interest of Ecuador above all and the intention to equally develop urban and rural areas.
The settlement of Croats in Ecuador began at the end of the 19th century, when they went there to collect the seeds of the bony palm (”tagua”), the most important export product at the time, from which buttons were made. After the chemical industry developed, “tagua” continued to be used only in high fashion, and Croats turned to banana cultivation and fishing.
Organized by Tomislav Topić and the Croatian community in Ecuador, the 4th Meeting of Croats of South America was held in Guayaquil in 2018, and the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Croatia headed by Honorary Consul Diego Miletić has also been operating recently. In Quito, the Ecuadorian Province of the Institutes of Mercy (Angeles) operates, which maintain a center for integral education in which 300 poor children are involved, and reading and writing courses are organized to reduce illiteracy, especially among women. The center has been operating for about 38 years, and it has been headed by Sister Klementina Banožić since the very beginning.
And finally, the soccer club Hajduk Quito operates in Quito, founded after the first Hajduk team played a match there in early 1970. Hajduk Quito still exists today, and Alex Aguinaga, the best soccer player in the history of Ecuador, graduated from its youth school.
Since then, we have had two presidents of Croatian origin in South America. They were Francisco Orlić in Costa Rica, Nestor Kirchner Ostoic and Gabriel Borić in Chile. Maybe Ecuador will join this series.
Tomislav and Jan Topić