Rival mass rallies grip Ecuador

[bemildred]

Tens of thousands of Ecuadorians have taken part in marches for and against the government in the capital, Quito.

Opponents of President Lucio Gutierrez accused him of acting like a dictator by persuading Congress to sack most of the Supreme Court.

They also condemned him for planning further reforms of key institutions.

Mr Gutierrez told supporters he could negotiate but, as a warrior, would change Ecuador or die trying.

BBC

[HuckleB]

1. Ecuador's history seems to repeat itself at a very fast rate. -nt-

Luckily, as with these peaceful marches, the bloodshed in recent years has been kept to a minimum. (Hmm. That's an odd statement to make, I know.)

[bemildred]

2. It is an interesting situation there.

Not much information comes out, I've been waiting for things to
heat up again. He was elected with the support of los indios on
the basis of certain promises which he has been slow to keep.
This sounds like he's trying to institute some of those reforms.
One would infer he's getting pressure from the indigenes and the
leftists, and the weakening of US "influence" in the reguion is
leaving him politically exposed. Almost sounds Venezuela-like, a
few years back, except that he is no Chavez. Do you know when the
next elections are?

[HuckleB]

3. The next elections are scheduled for October 2006.

I hope, for the sake of long-term democracy in Ecuador, that they occur as scheduled. There are so many factors and factions involved that it is very hard to follow what's what down there, especially with the sketchy coverage in the English press. I'm still trying to figure out what effect the falling dollar is having on the Ecuador economy, but there's little noted about it except in the Financial Press, and what they say just doesn't always wash with my experiences.

[bemildred]

4. I think the economy is not too bad, as these things go.

Occidental Petroleum has had to scale back their plans a bit,
there are various lawsuits, and the indigenes are not passive,
but there is a good deal of hydrocarbon money coming in, and
as I said, it seems quiet relatively speaking. The US just cut
it's drug war aid, but Ecuador and it's leader do not seem to be
in anybodies crosshairs, so I think things may not get too
unpleasant. I have not reached an opinion about Gutierrez, but
to hazard a guess I think he is just trying to stay out of trouble
and keep the lid on the situation. Wants to prevent a Caracazero
or anything like it.

I expect what is going on in other places, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina,
Venezuela, is much more of an issue in Washington.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=20255

[HuckleB]

5. True.

Gutierrez is never going to please everyone, and I think that many factions in Ecuador are struggling to understand that they won't get everything they want from politicians. Plus, those who've benefitted from long-running corruption are always the first to yell "corruption" whenever someone tries to dry it up. As for the dollar issue, inflation has been kept very low, especially compared to pre-dollar situation in Ecuador, but one has to wonder how different things would be if they had adopted the Euro or if we'd been smart enough to elect Gore.

[Lithos]

6. Am under the impression it really tanked after they dollarized

Costs went up quite a bit for the average person. Though that was a few years ago.

L-

[HuckleB]

7. Actually...

costs were going up constantly for the average person prior to dollarization, as inflation was out of control. The change to the dollar actually helped that, and the majority of folks I've talked to down there either think it was a good move or begrudgingly accept it as a better alternative than the situation prior to dollarization, though they would still like to have their own currency and not be so tied to the US.

[Lithos]

8. I hear that

The part about not wanting to be tied...

Should the Euro gain prominence, they would be shafted.

Also heard that Costa Rica also dollarized fairly recently and suffered quite a bit of pain as a result.

L-