Resounding Victory for Correa in Ecuador

QUITO, April 17.— With 99.60 percent of the ballots counted a huge
81.7 percent of Ecuadorians said YES to President Rafael Correa's
request for a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution and
radically transform the country.

By press time, a total of 5,317,698 citizens had voted in favor of the
Assembly while the NO votes were 810,274 for 12.45 percent. The
Electoral Supreme Court also ruled 5.85 percent of the ballots as
either invalid or blank.

The results are seen as a major victory for President Correa and a big
defeat for the traditional parties (Social Christian and Christian
Democrat), reported Prensa Latina.

After announcing the final results, the electoral authority has eight
days to convene the Constituent Assembly, making possible candidate
inscription. This could occur as early as April 25.

With the Assembly now a given, the different political and social
movements, including those that had opposed the idea of a new
constitution, are already preparing their lists of candidates, marking
the beginning of a new electoral campaign.

Ecuador: Correa Wins First Round of Constitution Struggle

I've been closely following the Constitutional struggle in Ecuador the last few weeks. We've seen some high drama (though perhaps tame by Ecuadorian standards), with 57 expelled Congressmen, who had to be removed by force and then their replacements sneaking in before dawn this week. In the end, Correa appears to have won the first round of the battle to funamentally change the Ecuadorian political system - one proven to be weak and insufficient. The country will vote whether they want to change the Constitution on April 15th. Polls show widespread support for Correa and the ballot measure. This article helps explain why.

From the Guardian UK:
The two-month-old government of leftist Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and the popular movements that back him have emerged triumphant from their first battle with the oligarchy and traditional political parties that have historically dominated the country. Correa, in his inaugural address in January, called for a "new socialism of the twenty-first century" and declared that Ecuador has to end "the perverse system that has destroyed our democracy, our economy and our society".

Correa's presidency is rooted in a militant mass movement that has been mobilizing and challenging the country's ascendant economic and political interests for years. The Ecuadorian political system, referred to as a "partidocracia", is run by factious political parties dominated by oligarchs who pull the strings of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidency - that is, until Correa's election. Even Michel Camdessus, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, once commented that Ecuador is characterized "by an incestuous relation between bankers, political-financial pressure groups and corrupt government officials".

The central demand of the broad movement that brought Correa to power is for a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution that breaks up the current dysfunctional state, ends the reign of the "partidocracia", refounds the country as a pluri-national, participatory democracy, reclaims Ecuadorian sovereignty and uses the state to advance social and economic policies that benefit the people, not the oligarchy.



Upon his inauguration, Correa issued a decree calling for a plebiscite for the people to vote on April 15 for the election of a Constituent Assembly. The Congress refused to accept the president's initiative and passed its own law, which said that such an assembly would not have the right to limit the tenure of congressional members, or any other elected officials, until their terms expired with the next elections - a change that would make it difficult for the assembly to reform the country's institutions. Then, with the intent of turning the election of assembly members into a circus, the Congress declared that anyone could put their name on the ballot for the assembly. No signatures or petitions were required, meaning that hundreds or more could simply sign up to run for any given seat, making the balloting virtually impossible to administer.

Correa responded by taking the Congressional legislation, eliminating the onerous clauses, tailoring it to his original decree for a Constituent Assembly to refound the country, and sending it the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which rules on elections and electoral procedures. Hopes were not high, as the Tribunal is historically viewed as part of the "partidocracia". The popular movements began to demonstrate in front of the Tribunal and Congress, calling for their closure, and for Correa to simply issue a decree for the Constituent Assembly.

Rene Baez, a political analyst at the Catholic University of Ecuador, says: "To the surprise of virtually everyone the popular repudiation shook the consciousness of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal." Lead by its president, Jorge Acosta, a member of a traditional right wing party, the Tribunal declared that the statute proposed by President Correa to refound the country's institutions would be the one that would be voted up or down on April 15.

Outraged by this decree, 57 of the 100 deputies of Congress voted to depose Acosta from the Tribunal. The next day Acosta and the Tribunal responded by expelling the 57 deputies from Congress for their unconstitutional actions.

The people took to the streets in a jubilant mood. Backed by demonstrators, Correa ordered 1500 policeman to surround the Congress to enforce the decree of the Tribunal, preventing any of the 57 deposed representatives from entering.
Whole Thing

Ecuador: Popular Correa Faces Early Tests

From the Washington Post: Supporters of leftist President Rafael Correa armed with sticks and stones fought their way into the Congress building Tuesday, demanding lawmakers call a referendum on whether the country's constitution should be rewritten.

I have been putting off writing a longer piece on Ecuador and the ups and downs first fortnight of the newest member of the evil lefty latin club, President Rafael Correa. The times are very interesting - and fluid - but the events of yesterday make some comment in order.

To anyone just beginning to look at Ecuadorean (or Latin) politics, raiding the Congress may seem extreme. But like most things reagarding the Latin left, it is a scene blown way out of proportion. The protesters were mostly students who broke away from the main peaceful marchers. They only made it to the back patio area of the Congress building, not inside (like the Post and others reported) after.

The real story is much deeper, of course. What is taking place in Ecuador and Bolivia is an epic battle over the transfer of power. Like in Venezuela, the people have realized that a main issue preventing positive change are 200 yeras of dumb laws based on an outdated constitution. Today Venezuela has perhaps the most progressive Constitutiuon in the world, guaranteering the social, civil, political, social, economic rights of all.

Some more background of the situation from the Green Left Weekly
On January 15, Ecuador’s new president, Rafael Correa Delgado, was sworn in, promising to build “socialism of the 21st century” to overcome the poverty and instability of the small Andean country.
...
Correa, a 43-year-old economist, used his inauguration to call for a “citizens’ revolution”, using wealth to meet social and environmental needs, rather than maintaining the current “perverse system” that has led to over 60% of Ecuador’s 13 million people living in poverty and forced more than 3 million to emigrate in search of jobs.

“The long night of neoliberalism is coming to an end”, said Correa, “A sovereign, dignified, just and socialist Latin America is beginning to rise.”
...
Correa has also promised to renegotiate contracts with foreign oil companies, in order to free up money for spending on health, education, the environment and housing. The potential benefits for Ecuador are enormous: the oil company Oxy had its contracts cancelled a year ago, and the government has since made US$1.1 billion from those oilfields alone.

Another priority for Correa is Ecuador’s foreign debt, estimated in November last year at over 25% of the country’s GDP. Correa has suggested that at least part of the debt may be illegal, and is planning to renegotiate, or possibly default on it. He has also called for an international debt tribunal to prevent the exploitation of debt-ridden countries and has threatened to cut ties with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
...
The most important part of the new president’s platform for change is the promise to convoke a Constituent Assembly to rewrite the constitution to allow the recall of elected officials and greater participation by social movements and community sectors in government, weakening the traditional party system and making his reforms possible.

Correa, whose Alianza PAIS party ran no candidates for the Congress, faces a hostile legislature. His opponents in Congress, which is almost universally regarded to be run by a corrupt and inept “partyocracy”, formed a bloc of 76 out of 100 law-makers to oppose Correa’s reforms.
...
Assuming it is approved, there will now be a referendum on March 18 to endorse the initiative, and a Constituent Assembly of 87 members will be elected soon after from provincial, national and immigrant sectors of the population. The assembly will have 180 days to rewrite the constitution.

The task facing Correa is a challenging one. Previous governments that have promised reforms along similar lines have been unable or unwilling to carry them out, making only small reforms in the hope of placating big business and the people alike. In response, mass popular mobilisations, especially by the indigenous movements, have led to the overthrow of the last three elected presidents.

The hope is that Correa has broken the mould. “We’re not talking about little reforms, about making things less bad”, he said during his inauguration. “Latin America isn’t living an era of changes”, he explained. “It’s living a change of eras.”