On
May 24, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa marked national independence
day ceremonies with a promise to "radicalise and deepen" the "citizens'
revolution" his government is seeking to lead.
Correa was joined the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, which rises
above the capital Quito, by Bolivian President Evo Morales and
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The event celebrated the 187th
anniversary of the Battle of Pinchincha, when Ecuador won its
independence from Spanish rule.
Speaking one month after becoming the first Ecuadorian president to
win re-election in 30 years, Correa said Ecuadorians were celebrating
"two liberating births". One was from Spanish rule, and the other
through his April 26 election victory on a platform of pro-people
economic development.
Correa said the Ecuadorian people had chosen a "profound, rapid and
peaceful revolution". He promised to "deepen and radicalise" the process
of change, "now, not tomorrow".
"We will not change course", Correa said.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Ecuador: Correa says re-election 'a vote for socialism'
Ecuador's left-wing President Rafael Correa was re-elected on April 27 in the small Andean nation.
Correa, a 46-year old radical economist and self-described socialist, won 52% of the vote, 24 points ahead of his nearest rival. He became the first candidate to win in the first round of a presidential poll since Ecuador emerged from dictatorship in 1979.
Former president Lucio Gutierrez — overthrown by mass protests in 2005 against his right-wing policies and corruption — won only 28% of the vote. Ecuador's richest man — banana magnate Alvaro Noboa —got 11%.
In National Assembly elections, held simultaneously, Correa's party Allianza Pais ("Country Alliance") appears to have won a majority 64 of 124 seats. Other left-wing parties —including the Movement for Popular Democracy and the indigenous party Pachakutik — won a further 15 seats.
"This revolution is on the march and nobody and nothing can stop us", Correa said. "At last power is in the hands of its legitimate owners, the Ecuadorian people and above all the poorest of our people."
Correa, a 46-year old radical economist and self-described socialist, won 52% of the vote, 24 points ahead of his nearest rival. He became the first candidate to win in the first round of a presidential poll since Ecuador emerged from dictatorship in 1979.
Former president Lucio Gutierrez — overthrown by mass protests in 2005 against his right-wing policies and corruption — won only 28% of the vote. Ecuador's richest man — banana magnate Alvaro Noboa —got 11%.
In National Assembly elections, held simultaneously, Correa's party Allianza Pais ("Country Alliance") appears to have won a majority 64 of 124 seats. Other left-wing parties —including the Movement for Popular Democracy and the indigenous party Pachakutik — won a further 15 seats.
"This revolution is on the march and nobody and nothing can stop us", Correa said. "At last power is in the hands of its legitimate owners, the Ecuadorian people and above all the poorest of our people."
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