Ecuador: New president – Bolivarian and respects communists
December 1, 2006
Rafael Correa presents himself as a catholic-humanist, fighter for social justice, non-communist, but respecting them. Almost all political forces and Indian groups (including Pachacutik) that managed to interprete the peoples aspirations, formed into the coalition of parties and organisations supporting Correa in the second round of elections. The main requirement of simple Ecuadorians: it is high time to do away with a 20-year domination of wild capitalism, neo-liberal experiments under the slogan «market will solve all the problems»!
The shattering result of elections in favour of Correa, who has considerably outdistanced his rival - «banana king» Alvaro Noboa, has earnestly demonstrated that the Ecuadorians are fed up with false promises of happy life and prosperity under the conditions of a «free market» according to American drawings. No matter how great was the temptation «traditional elites» of Ecuador to swindle with the results of the second round, they did not dare to manipulation.
Rafael Correa will face difficult years of struggle for healing the country from «neo-liberal paralysis» that turned the country into a raw materials attachment of leading capitalist states, in the supplier of free petroleum, donor of cheap manpower, passive spectator of crucial changes on the continent, in which Brasil, Venezuela, Argentine, Bolivia and some other countries that took risk to break with empire dictatorship, participate.
One cannot but remember that out of the recent line of «legally elected» presidents none of them reached the end of the allotted time. And it is not going to be easy for Correa, who, for example, has no political support base in the parliament for conducting the reforms that do not conform to the interests of oligarchy and greatly resembling those that are being successfully implemented in Venezuela by Hugo Chavez.
Among paramount goals of the new president is calling of a Constitutional assembly so that to radically modernise the Main law of the country and create the base for reforms, social orientation of which is among the priorities.
A lot of efforts and time will be needed to establish order in the sphere of power engineering, getting realistic (and just!) revenues from petroleum production. Correa promisses to his fellow-countrymen to revise the contracts with foreign petroleum producing firms and to resume the membership of Ecuador in OPEC, which Ecuador left in 1992.
The perspective of relations of Correa with the Ecuadorian military, the top command of which got used to acting within the framework of «allied orientation» towards the United States, manuals and regulations of the Pentagon is not very much clear either. However the new president has declared that he will not prolong the ten-year agreement of 1999 with the USA of leasing the air force base near the city of Manta.
At present that base is being extensively used by Washington according to «Plan Colombia» directed to fight drug trafficking and guerilla movement. In this respect Correa has already declared that «it was not our war and Ecuador will not participate in it». The new government plans to build a large international airport on the territory of the military base after expiry of term of lease in 2009.
Correa is going to build up his relations with the USA on the basis of mutual respect. However, he is categorically against conclusion of the agreement on free trade. The new president of Ecuador is more attracted by Latin American integration MERCOSUR.
A 43-year old politician Rafael Correa will take his place in the Presidential Palace on January, 15 of the next year. Apparently he will not be the ruler of «office style»: Correa is dynamic, charismatic, easy-going with people, able to come to constructive compromises, possesses good political oratory skills (in this Chavez gets a worthy «rival»).
The bourgeois press every now and then describe Correa as a «friend» and «brother-in-arms» of Chavez. This is an exaggeration. Previously they met only once in Caracas, where Correa came to attend one of the symposiums. They talked for a couple of hours and, as far as is known, liked one another. Of course, as both of them call themselves Bolivarians! And the true friendship will be proved by deed.