Juventud Rebelde: "Correa's Election Victory Consolidates Ecuadorian Revolution

[magbana]

"Correa’s Election Victory Consolidates Ecuadorian Revolution

Correa’s re-election is a clear sign of the people’s willingness to carry on the revolution underway, and is the first time in the country’s history that a president has been elected after the first round

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2009-04-27 | 15:05:50 EST
Photo: GoogleZoom
Unofficial results from Sunday’s national elections in Ecuador give current President Rafael Correa between 54 and 57 percent support, with a massive 20 point lead over his nearest rival, former president, Lucio Gutierrez.

Official results give Correa 49.01 percent of votes, 18 points ahead of Gutierrez so far.

Correa’s re-election is a clear sign of the people’s willingness to carry on the revolution underway, and is the first time in the country’s history that a president has been elected after the first round.

It also come as a clear rejection of the US US Free Trade Agreement and the presence of US soldiers at the Manta base in the northern part of the country; two top issues during the election.

Another of Correa’s election promises was to further support Latin American integration and the regional left movement by expanding and diversifying socioeconomic relations with South countries.

Correa promised to continue his efforts to lessen inequalities between the rich and the poor, foster what has been called “the people’s economy,” and to provide free healthcare and education."
http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/international/2009-04-27/correa-s-election-victory-consolidates-ecuadorian-revolution/

[Peace Patriot]

1. It's important to understand that Correa is winning in a field of 7 candidates,

with a strong challenge from the left (representing environmental and indigenous tribal issues), which has a candidate--a woman--who has been taking 10% of the votes from Correa in pre-election polls. In other words, the combined Left (Correa and his leftist rival) earned not just a plurality but a 60% landslide. That 10% weren't votes for Correa, but were votes to push him from the left. (This is more in line with Correa's general approval rating in Ecuador, which runs in the 60% to 70% range--and with the vote on the Correa-backed new Constitution--nearly 60%). Even the combined strength on the right (split between two main candidates) remains only in the 40% range or less.

[Judi Lynn]

2. The people have spoken, again. Hope this will serve as real food for thought

for the right-wing fascist cabal which has assumed it would simply knock Correa right off his perch and grab back control of the country, the same people who control Ecuador's media, and have never stopped trying to overthrow him.

May they be met with total frustration for the next four years.

There should be wide-spread celebration of a real triumph for the country, as they prepare to continue the chance they need so badly.

[magbana]

3. And, of course, BoRev has something to say on the topic

go to BoRev -- URL below -- for the pic of the week!
magbana

"A Second Term for President Hotsalot

welcomebackcorrea.jpg

International Latin heartthrob Rafael Correa is lookin' good, as always. According to early exit polling from today's vote, "56 percent of voters cast ballots for Correa. His closest rival Lucio Gutierrez had 29 percent support."

Update 7:04 p.m.: Yup, Raf has just become "the first president elected without a runoff in traditionally unstable Ecuador in 30 years."
Tags:

* Elections
* Latin Hearthrobs
* Rafael Corrrea"
http://www.borev.net/2009/04/a_second_term_for_president_ho.html

[Judi Lynn]

4. From a BoRev's AP link:"I voted for Correa because there is honesty in his government."

Ha, ha, ha, ha:

"I voted for Correa because there is honesty in his government. He's very different from the others and gets things done," 56-year-old dentist Manuel Guerrero said after casting his ballot.

It must have been unbearable for AP to crumble, and include that quote in one of their Latin America "news" articles.

All of the decent Latin American leaders will be celebrating right along with this great President of Ecuador.

[Judi Lynn]

5. I never knew Rafael Correa speaks French!

Here he is on a French news show:
http://www.dailymotion.com/group/115454/video/x5fc2f_raphael-correa-tv5-monde_news

He also speaks Quechua. He attended the University of Illinois-Urbana,Champaign. Whoa!

On edit:

After reading that Guy Whitey Corngood said Correa's wife is from Belgium, speaks French, I looked up a photo of both of them:



Getty Images 27 months ago
"Ecuadorean new President Rafael Correa (R) his wife Anne Malherbe and his youngest son Miguel (L) leave the National Congress in Quito 15 January, 2007. Correa took on striving to transform the most unstable country of the region into a satellite of the new leftist socialism."

[rabs]

6. Correa did some heavy-duty Ph. D. studies at UI for three years

Papers written by Rafael Correa at the University of Illinois:

“One Market, One Currency: The Economic Desirability of a Monetary Union for the CAN”. University of Illinois. May 2001.
“Destabilizing Speculation in the Exchange Market: The Ecuadorian Case”. University of Illinois. January 2000.
“Is Institutional Change Endogenous? A Critical View of the Political Economy of the Reforms: The Ecuadorian Case”. University of Illinois. August 1999.
“The Ecuadorian ISI Revisited”. University of Illinois. May 1999.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoping to redistribute the country’s oil wealth, Correa is an economist who solidified his ideas during his Ph.D. studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Between 1997 and 2001, Correa was a doctoral student in the department of economics, where he focused on international economics and economic development.

“He did first-rate graduate work as a student, getting a solid grip on modern economic theory and quantitative methods,” said UI professor of economics Werner Baer, who was also Correa’s dissertation adviser. “Even in his student days he was concerned about income distribution.

One of Correa’s dissertation essays dealt with the impact of neoliberalism on Latin American growth and income distribution. Although Ecuador is the second largest oil exporter in Latin America, nearly 70 percent of its 13 million inhabitants live in poverty, according to UNICEF. Correa has been critical of Ecuador’s dollarization and the “Washington Consensus,” a doctrine that calls for trade liberalization, deregulation, privatization and fiscal discipline as a way to promote economic growth.

http://www.clacs.uiuc.edu/news/correa/

[Judi Lynn]

7. Very impressive, isn't it? It wasn't that long ago he was at U.I., all things considered.

I think it was implied in articles about his service in Ecuador's Treasury that he surely "hit the ground running" there, and made a lot of waves.

We don't get enough news about Ecuador. This guy is fighting a real war every day, from what I've gathered. Hope he makes it through, lives to be very old, with absolutely no assassinations or even close calls.

The leftist leaders are most clearly far more interesting, more complete, more mature, more socially aware, I believe.

http://delucio.com.nyud.net:8090/blog/wp-content/images/Alan_Garcia_1.jpg