ECUADOR:
New President to Serve Out Full Term, Despite Protesters' Wishes
Kintto Lucas*
QUITO, Apr 20 (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.
(END/2005)
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