Our Worst Fears Confirmed

ECUADOR - In Brief 26 May 2014 by Magdalena Barreiro

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This weekend President Correa announced his decision to give green light to the initiative promoted by legislators from Alianza Pais of amending the constitution to allow "indefinite re-election" for all elected public representatives. His arguments were based on what he perceives as a an "evident re-alignment in Latin America of the rightist forces that support the elites in detriment of the common people" --and he mentioned the current problems in Venezuela as an example. He also expressed that his life is not his anymore but that it belonged to the Ecuadorian people in a clear indication that he is considering his re-election in 2017. With this announcement he is contradicting his own declarations back in January when he said it is dangerous when a constitution has to be amended to fill the hole left by the absence of clear leaderships. It is not surprising, however, that the president chose the Assembly's path where he has absolute majority instead of a referendum as should have been the case for such an important matter. The results of the local elections last February and the capacity of the YASUNIDOS to raise an important number of signatures supporting the referendum against the exploitation of the ITT oil camps speak of a clear weakening of power of the official party that continues to place all hopes in Correa to continue in power --apparently for ever.