The following article is a firsthand perspective of the events unfolding in Ecuador. This morning, around 500 police officers revolted and seized control of the main police regiment in Quito. The president, Rafael Correa, unable to reach the leaders of the revolt, tried to reason with the rebelling police officers. The unrest immediately spread across the country. Police across the nation stopped protecting the population, and chaos spilled onto the streets. There have been assaults and looting in some parts of the country, especially in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. There are several reports of major assaults on banks, malls, and other commercial infrastructure around the country. The streets of the main cities are in anarchy. Businesses, schools, and universities have been shut down. The main points of access to Quito have been closed, and the main arteries into and out of the country have been cut off in some areas. It is unknown whether the armed forces are taking part in the revolt, but there are reports that a brigade of soldiers has taken control of Quito´s airport and a military base located nearby. Quito´s airspace has been shut down and planes are not permitted to leave or enter the city. There are reports that police have forcibly entered and taken over the National Assembly in Quito. Also, some major news outlets have reported that at least one assemblywoman was assaulted and seriously injured. Opponents of the government that have been protesting throughout the country in recent weeks have joined the police protest. There are reports of university students joining the protests in some cities such as Cuenca and Quito. Other public servants, including employees of Petroecuador, the national oil company, were spotted protesting early in the morning. Although it has not been confirmed, there are rumors that a national curfew will be set. Although there has not been any major call for the president’s resignation, the ministers and most important civil functionaries of the government have convened at the Presidential Palace. The president has said that he will come back to the Presidential Palace; however, there are reports that the police surrounding the hospital are not allowing him to leave the premises. He has also reported that police personnel are trying to reach his room in the hospital and that there are some groups calling for the revolt to become a coup d’état. Thousands of people have gathered outside the Presidential Palace to support Correa. The police started to demonstrate in response to Correa’s recent veto of a law on public service in which he annulled many benefits that the police and military had previously enjoyed, such as economic incentives linked to medals, awards, decorations, and promotions. Recently, the president also vetoed other important initiatives, including ones that had previously been negotiated with the opposition to take into consideration all the actors that were going to be affected. Instead, Correa pushed through the original proposals, dismissing all the hard-fought compromises incorporated by the National Assembly in the alternative versions. Correa’s imposition of his own will over the National Assembly subsequently sparked widespread protests. Once Correa vetoed the compromises, Alianza País, the political movement associated with the president, declined to override his presidential veto. This created a sense that the National Assembly’s efforts to reach an accord were nothing but useless theatrics because, ultimately, the will of the executive power was all that mattered. The next hours will be essential to Correa, as they will determine whether he emerges a stronger or weaker leader. Before this day, Rafael Correa seemed an untouchable figure in Ecuadorian politics. However, his presidency might very well be defined by the outcome of this day, and his political projects may rest on the results.
Chaos and Anarchy in Ecuador: A Possible Coup?
September 30, 2010
September 30, 2010
This analysis was prepared by COHA Contributor Andrés Ochoa, reporting from QuitoPermanent link to this article: http://www.coha.org/chaos-and-anarchy-in-ecuador/
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8 comments
mary says:
September 30, 2010 at 4:37 pm (UTC -6 )
omg my boyfriend goes to school in quito! i was soo worried but thank god hes okay… but i really hope this does not cause me alot of trouble when i plan to fly there in december
Greydog says:
October 2, 2010 at 10:04 am (UTC -6 )
OMG What a vacuous and insipid statement.
Ecuador is in chaos and YOU hope it doesn't cause YOU a lot of trouble when YOU plan to fly there in December.
Maybe, if you take your head out of your ass, you might see that there are other concerns in Ecuador, other than YOUR damn vacation in December.
Matthew W says:
September 30, 2010 at 5:06 pm (UTC -6 )
I'm very glad COHA is covering this situation. What concern me most are the reports of the military involvement in taking the airport. Historically, the military, especially the army, has been more trusted than the Executive in Ecuador, at least from what I've read. Most of the time, the military would dispose of an Executive when the stability of the country or the sovereignty of the military was threatened. However, with a few significant exceptions, they deferred to the next acceptable civilian in line.
Still, I hope that the situation is resolved peacefully without a golpe de estado and things return to normal with minimal violence.
Anonymous says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:13 am (UTC -6 )
That's because Ecuador's military regime of the 70s was very mild by Latin American standards.
But to Correa. Domestically, he has lost a lot of his support, and both the labour movement and indigenous groups have been strongly against him from what I can see. He has not done anything radical in the manner of, say, Hugo Chavez (and is arguably more intelligent), but instead continues the strongly personalist tradition of Velasco, which his main opponents Gutierrez and Noboa have also tried to do. Internationally, he looks to have warmed to the US following Hillary Clinton's visit- and hence the US have shown its support for Correa in this.
Bill Donovan says:
September 30, 2010 at 10:01 pm (UTC -6 )
The BBC reports that the Army rescued the President. It also indicated that the U.S. supported the President against the attempted coup. Your reporters are very hasty at times condemning the U.S. for its inaction. Here I tend to accept the BBC's report.
Shantel says:
October 1, 2010 at 9:23 am (UTC -6 )
Nice reporting Andres, I hoped that Larry would have contacted you about this ASAP.
I think we are seeing the delayed effects of what happened in Honduras.
Keep up the good work.
Brian says:
October 3, 2010 at 3:02 pm (UTC -6 )
The loyalty of the army at this point is crucial for Correa, but this does not resolve the underlying crisis of confidence among important sectors of the economy and the damage done to the social fabric of Ecuador. This was not democracy in action.
Anonymous says:
October 4, 2010 at 4:36 am (UTC -6 )
The same sort social movements that swept Evo Morales to power in Bolivia are the movements which are now dead set against Correa's rule in Ecuador. Especially the indigenist movements which are very strong in Ecuador and played a prominent role in deposing previous presidents. Furthermore, many of his most rabid opponents come not from the "Right" but from the Extreme Left- students' and teachers' unions which are Maoist-influenced.