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ECUADOR:
New President to
Serve Out Full Term, Despite
Protesters' Wishes
Kintto
Lucas*
QUITO, (IPS) - Ecuador's new
president, Alfredo Palacio, told
IPS that he would complete the
term of Lucio Gutiérrez, who was
removed by Congress Wednesday,
even though the protesters
demanding that Gutiérrez step
down called for early elections
in just four months.
Palacio said he would build a
"government of national unity,"
and would stay in office until
January 2007.
After four months of political
crisis and a week of escalating
social unrest, the legislature
held a quick vote Wednesday to
sack Gutiérrez for "dereliction
of duty", arguing that he had
failed to live up to his
responsibilities as president.
In keeping with the
constitution, he was immediately
replaced by Palacio, his
vice-president, a medical doctor
by profession.
Nor does Palacio plan to call
off the negotiations for a free
trade agreement with the United
States, or cancel the contract
through which Ecuador has loaned
the air base in the northern
port city of Manta to the U.S.
military -- two other demands
voiced by the protesters.
"We shouldn't be scared of the
free trade agreement, but we
should negotiate as equals with
the United States," said the new
president, who added that he
would respect all contracts
signed by Ecuador, including the
one involving the Manta air
base.
Governments in the region
reacted with caution.
The administration of Néstor
Kirchner in Argentina expressed
its "concern over the grave
institutional crisis in our
sister republic of Ecuador", and
"particularly lamented the loss
of human lives" - a reference to
the death of a journalist in
Tuesday's protests.
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos
cancelled a planned trip to
Ecuador, and said from the
Venezuelan capital, where he is
visiting, that he was confident
that the people of Ecuador "will
find it possible to resolve
their problems within a state of
law and in line with their
constitution."
His Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo
Chávez, added that "all of the
governments of South America are
in contact, in order to begin to
adopt common stances, as a South
American union, in the face of
regrettable situations such as
this one."
On Tuesday, the police cracked
down harshly on a march by more
than 30,000 demonstrators, and
Chilean photo-journalist Julio
García died of respiratory
arrest caused by the effects of
tear gas. More than 50 people
were injured.
On Wednesday, streets in several
neighbourhoods in Quito were
blocked by protesters as
busloads of paid
counter-demonstrators were
brought in from nearby provinces
to support the government and
confront the protesters.
Gutiérrez refused to resign, and
was removed by Congress. A few
minutes later, he left the
government palace by helicopter,
after the armed forces chief,
Admiral Víctor Hugo Rosero,
announced that the armed forces
had withdrawn their support from
the president "to safeguard the
peace."
On Dec. 8, 2004, a majority in
the legislature made up of
parties close to the government
removed 27 of the 31 Supreme
Court magistrates and replaced
them with allies, in a move
considered unconstitutional by
the opposition parties.
For four months, lawmakers
failed to reach agreement on a
solution to the crisis.
The situation took a turn for
the worse on Apr. 1, when the
chief justice of the Supreme
Court, Guillermo Castro, threw
out the corruption trials
against former presidents Abdalá
Bucaram (1996-1997) and Gustavo
Noboa (2000-2003), as well as
former vice-president Alberto
Dahik (1992-1995), all of whom
were living in exile.
Castro's decision allowed them
to return to Ecuador, which
further fuelled the rage of the
protesters.
In a special session on Apr. 17,
Congress voted unanimously to
fire the new Supreme Court
justices, who are not to be
replaced until lawmakers reach
agreement on a new law that
would create an independent
mechanism for the selection of
magistrates.
However, the resolution did not
overturn the annulment of the
corruption trials against
Bucaram, Noboa and Dahik.
While the legislators of
Bucaram's Ecuadorian Roldosista
Party argue that the cases will
remain closed because the
congressional resolution did not
specifically address the issue,
opposition lawmakers say the
dismissal of the hand-picked
Court invalidated all of its
decisions.
Parliamentary Deputy Guillermo
Landázuri, the leader of the
Democratic Left opposition
party, argued that it would be
up to the future Supreme Court
to decide on the prosecutions
against the former presidents
and vice-president.
The protesters opposed any
interference by the political
parties in their demonstrations
and demanded the resignation of
all executive, legislative and
judicial branch officials,
chanting "Lucio, Get Out!" and "Que
se vayan todos" (They Should All
Go).
The protests broke out last
Wednesday in Quito, with
thousands of people taking to
the streets to call for
Gutiérrez's removal.
On Saturday, Gutiérrez invoked
the national security law and
decreed a state of emergency,
suspending civil rights, calling
the army out into the streets,
and giving the government the
power to take over other
branches of the state.
In the same decree, the
president dismissed the Supreme
Court.
Gutiérrez justified his
decisions saying he had to put
an end to the political crisis,
using the special powers granted
by the state of emergency, but
the opposition accused him of
adopting a "dictatorial"
resolution to repress the
demonstrations.
Luis Macas, the president of the
powerful Confederation of
Indigenous Nationalities of
Ecuador (CONAIE), said his
organisation would continue to
press for compliance with its
demands, even though Gutiérrez
was ousted.
"We are demanding that the
country suspend the negotiation
of a free trade agreement with
the United States, close the
Manta military base, and oppose
the country's involvement in
Plan Colombia," the
U.S.-financed counterinsurgency
and anti-drug strategy
implemented in war-torn
neighbouring Colombia, said
Macas.
Palacio had already distanced
himself from Gutiérrez over a
year ago, and had been making
public statements against the
government every time a
political crisis broke out.
Gutiérrez, a retired army
colonel, and Palacio won the
presidential elections in a
runoff vote in November 2003.
*With additional reporting by
Marcela Valente in Argentina,
Gustavo González in Chile and
Humberto Márquez in Venezuela.
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