Ecuador's Stolen Election
by Ted Snider Posted onMay 13, 2021
Rafeal Correa served as president of Ecuador from 2007-2017, bringing in the socialist Citizen’s Revolution for the people of Ecuador. In 2017, Correa’s vice president, Lenín Moreno, was elected president. The people elected him on the promise that he would continue his predecessor’s policies. However, with US backing, Moreno underwent a sudden conversion to the right, engaging in a policy of privatization and the elimination of social programs. His popularity plummeted to 8%.
On February 7, the people of Ecuador finally got their much anticipated election. They got their desired election, but not their desired candidate. Rafael Correa, who would have won the election if he had run, was barred from running. He was subsequently barred from running for vice president. Broader attempts were also made to prevent his party from running. So, his movement tried to form a new party. Guillaume Long, the former Ecuadorean foreign minister, told me in a personal correspondence that the attempt to compete as a new party was barred six times before another party allowed Correa’s movement to join them.
With the leadership of the biggest political movement in Ecuador all jailed, in exile or barred from running, the unknown Andrés Arauz carried the movement into the election. He won the first round easily, defeating his nearest competitor, Guillermo Lasso, by 32.71% to 19.74%. Arauz won despite being allowed to find a party three months after the other tickets were approved and only weeks before the election. Arauz won despite being banned from using Correa’s image or voice in his campaign.
According to Long, the Trump administration was completely supportive of the Moreno administration that set lose the undemocratic suppression of Correa’s movement. He told me that by continuing to support Moreno, Trump indirectly supported his suppression and persecution of the opposition.
More:
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2021/05/12/ecuadors-stolen-election/
