Ecuador - Political background



At the end of the fifteenth century, the Incas from Peru conquered much of what is now Ecuador, uniting the various indigenous groups then living in the area. In 1534, the short-lived Incan rule was brought to an end by the arrival of the Spanish, who set up their colonial system, which lasted nearly 300 years. In 1822, Ecuador won its independence from Spain when General Antonio José de Sucre was victorious in the Battle of Pichineha. After an eight-year confederation with Colombia and Venezuela, Ecuador became an independent republic in 1830.

For most of the time since independence, a small elite group of people of European ancestry—who engaged in fierce struggles for power amongst themselves—has ruled Ecuador. During much of the nineteenth century, the conservatives ruled, drawing their support largely from the wealthy landowners and the Roman Catholic Church. In 1896, however, the Liberal Party took over, ending the strong influence of the church and shifting power toward the military and business leaders. By 1925, widespread dissatisfaction with the failure of government to address Ecuador's economic and social problems resulted in the disintegration of the political system.

Between 1925 and 1948, Ecuador saw a succession of 25 presidents or heads of state, none of whom served a full term in office. Between 1948 and 1960, however, the country enjoyed a brief period of political stability. Each of the three presidents who served during that twelve-year period, though affiliated with different political parties, pursued similar programs of increasing political participation, economic development, and moderate social reform.

During the 1960s and 1970s, political instability returned, along with a period of military rule and frequent coups. In 1978, the country moved toward the restoration of democratically elected civilian government, adopting a new Constitution and holding elections in 1979. The first civilian elected under the new Constitution was Jaime Roldós Aguilera, a charismatic young lawyer from Guayaquil. Two years later, Roldós was killed in a suspicious plane crash, and the next year the Ecuadoran Roldosista Party (PRE) was formed to continue the policies and programs that Roldós had advocated. However, since the return to civilian rule, no political party has become dominant in Ecuadoran political life.

In 1996, the Roldosistas elected their first president. Abdalá Bucaram, the former mayor of Guayaquil and a businessman of Lebanese extraction, scored a surprising upset victory over his opponent. Bucaram's ability to govern depended largely on his relationship with the Congress and the country's financial and business community. His fortunes with the deeply divided and contentious Congress, however, were not promising. Bucaram also faced formidable economic challenges. Perhaps the greatest of these was to make good on his campaign promise to redress the widening gap between rich and poor, while keeping the financial and business sectors from panicking. Shortly after taking office, Bucaram abandoned his populist platform in favor of the policies of his predecessor. This ignited the disappointment and disaffection of the poor, who had supported his election. Widespread charges of corruption, nepotism, and incompetence also began to surface. When he introduced harsh austerity measures, curbing government subsidies to balance the budget, and sending utility rates soaring, violent street protests began to occur with increasing frequency.

On 6 February 1997, six months after taking office, Congress ousted Bucaram following two days of massive popular protests against his economic measures. Congress chose Fabian Alarcón to serve as interim president. In the May 1998 elections, candidate Jamil Mahuad was elected to the presidency. Mahuad had promised economic reforms, but by late 1999, the country's indigenous peoples had grown disenchanted with his policies, which had done nothing to improve their social and economic situation. Massive banking scandals also had tainted his administration. In January 2000, Mahuad announced plans to replace the sucre, the national currency, with the U.S. dollar, to stabilize the economy and end chronic inflation. Indigenous peoples said the plan would destroy their savings, driving them further into poverty. On 21 January 2000, thousands of indigenous peoples led by the Ecuadoran Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE), marched to Quito to protest "dollarization" of the economy. With aid from the military, they ousted Mahuad from office. A three-member junta, which included a prominent leader of CONAIE, held power for a few hours. The junta was dissolved after the United States and other nations threatened to isolate Ecuador if it did not return to democracy. Congress named Vice President Gustavo Noboa Bejarano as president of the country, despite protests by Mahuad and indigenous leaders. Noboa served for the remainder of the term, but he announced in late 2001 that he would not seek another presidential term.

Elections were held as scheduled in October 2002, with Gustavo Noboa replaced by Alvaro Noboa. Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbua, running as an outsider, won the support of Ecuador's indigenous population. Voters blamed the country's economic woes on the traditional political parties, and their candidates suffered as a result. Gutiérrez won easily in the runoff election.

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