On January 26, up to 250,000 Ecuadorians marched in
Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. Their demands included an end to
rampant corruption and crime, improved health and sanitation services,
and the reinstatement of the Supreme Court, which was unceremoniously
sacked on December 8 by a narrow majority of the Ecuadorian Congress.
The dismissal of the Supreme Court, a majority of whose presiding
judges were affiliated to the opposition Social-Christian Party (PSC),
was precipitated by Ecuadorian President Lucio Gutierrez accusing it of
favouring a PSC-led impeachment attempt against him last November.
Gutierrez has been under mounting pressure over the last year, as his
ruling alliance has been unravelling and he has been under pressure
from allegations of his involvement with drug-money and misuse of public
funds resurfacing. The action against the Supreme Court is widely
viewed as an unconstitutional power grab.