[lbo-talk] Ecuadorean election

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Oct 1 11:39:18 PDT 2007


<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7022623.stm>

Ecuador's Correa celebrates 'win'

Official results are slowly being tallied in Ecuador where President Rafael Correa is celebrating victory in constituent assembly elections.

A final outcome could take days to determine given the complexity of the vote but unofficial results give Mr Correa's party a strong majority.

He hopes the 130-member body will dissolve the national Congress, which he says is corrupt and inept.

But critics say the reforms will focus more power in the president's hands.

Exit polls from Sunday's election gave Mr Correa's Alianza Pais party a strong lead, with between 70 and 79 seats, more than the 66 needed to control the assembly.

By Monday, just over 2% of the votes had been counted and the final allocation of seats may take days, if not weeks, given the complicated nature of the poll.

'Strong mandate'

More than 3,200 candidates and a complex voting system left many voters undecided or simply confused, the BBC's South America correspondent Daniel Schweimler says.

Rafael Correa insists deep-rooted reform is needed

Mr Correa, a former economy minister who took office in January, has insisted he has won a strong mandate.

"We have won the mother of all battles," he told supporters.

"We accept this triumph with great humility and total responsibility," he said. "We know we cannot fail."

The impoverished Andean nation has thrown out three previous presidents in the last 10 years, and successive governments have been roundly criticised.

Referendum

Mr Correa says the proposed constitutional reforms will make Ecuador a more just society and tackle the endemic political instability.

The president's critics say he will use the assembly to entrench his hold on power and this will frighten off foreign investors.

The Constituent Assembly is due to start work on 31 October and is scheduled to last 180 days, with a possible extension of up to 60 days.

The constitution the assembly drafts will then be put to a national referendum for approval.



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