Ecuador
Votes For
Revolutionary Change
By Stephen Lendman
17 April, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Ecuadorean
President Raphael Correa took office January 15 promising his people
progressive, revolutionary social and economic change unlike anything
this country of mostly impoverished people ever had before under its
right wing only governments beholden solely to capital interests. Correa
promised a "citizens' revolution" beginning by drafting a
new Constitution in a Constituent Assembly for which a national referendum
was held April 15 allowing Ecuadoreans the right to decide on it, not
politicians.
Yesterday the people spoke
loudly and clearly in favor of proceeding. The referendum was passed
overwhelmingly by 78.1% in favor against a mere 11.5% opposed (with
remaining ballots left blank or were void) according to a Cedatos-Gallup
exit poll conducted among 40,000 voters with a margin of error around
2% that will be very close to the final official vote count due out
in a week according to Ecuador's Supreme Electoral Council (TSE).
The referendum was monitored
by representatives from the Organization of American States (OAS) who
judged it fair and open, but that judgment won't likely silence Correa's
critics crying foul, calling the whole process unconstitutional, and
saying adopting the "Venezuelan model" will scare off foreign
investors - all false and misleading as eight years under Hugo Chavez
proves. Venezuela is thriving economically under his progressive leadership,
and Correa now hopes his agenda for progressive social and economic
change will achieve the same results for Ecuador and its people. He
now has a chance to do it.
Correa is following the same
pattern Hugo Chavez chose in 1999 following his first election as Venezuela's
president in December, 1998. Chavez held a national referendum that
passed overwhelmingly followed three months later by elections to the
National Constituent Assembly. It then drafted the country's new Constitucion
de la Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela giving all Venezuelans a cornucopia
of progressive social policies written into law. It appears Ecuador
will go the same route with a new Constitution to be drafted later this
year that again will be put to a popular referendum to let the people
decide on it, not the politicians.
Sunday, President Correa
voiced what most Ecuadoreans feel saying "It's a day of national
celebration, a victory for the people, for democracy" as he voted
at a polling station in northern Quito, the capital. Correa promised
progressive change for his people desperate for it, and as the country's
eighth president (three of them publicly toppled) in the last turbulent
decade, he's committed to deliver it saying earlier he'd resign from
office if the April 15 referendum failed to pass. He had little reason
to worry.
Hugo Chavez congratulated
Correa and his people in his weekly Sunday radio and television program
"Alo (Hello) Presidente" saying "Correa will go forward
with the support of the great majority. We wish the best for the Ecuadorean
people and President Correa, who has heeded with courage and valor the
call of 21st century socialism." The sentiment in Washington is
likely to be quite different with public comments ahead barely concealing
official contempt for any regional efforts toward real progressive democratic
change. But what else would we expect from an administration run by
a criminal element with no respect for the law or democratic will of
people anywhere. Stay tuned for more developments as they unfold.
Stephen Lendman
lives in Chicago and can be reached at [email protected].
Also visit his blog site
at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to the Steve Lendman
News and Information Hour on The Micro Effect.com each Saturday at noon
US central time.
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