Ecuador

[Endovelico]

Rafael Correa, the friend of Hugo Chavez, is expected to win the presidential elections in Ecuador with more than 60% of the vote.

[Endovelico]

Ecuador’s Correa easily wins 2nd re-election, vows to deepen ‘citizens’ revolution’
By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, February 18, 6:47 AM

QUITO, Ecuador — A landslide second re-election secured, President Rafael Correa immediately vowed to deepen the “citizen’s revolution” that has lifted tens of thousands of Ecuadoreans out of poverty as he expanded the welfare state.

“In this revolution the citizens are in charge, not capital,” the leftist U.S.-trained economist said after winning 56.9 percent of the vote Sunday against 23.8 percent for his closest challenger, longtime banker Guillermo Lasso.

With 57 percent of the vote counted, former President Lucio Gutierrez finished third with 6 percent. The remainder was divided among five other candidates. Lasso conceded defeat late Sunday.

The fiery-tongued Correa has brought surprising stability to an oil-exporting nation of 14.6 million with a history of unruliness that cycled through seven presidents in the decade before him.

With the help of oil prices that have hovered around $100 a barrel, he has raised lower-class living standards and widened the welfare state with region-leading social spending.

The 48-year-old Correa dedicated his victory to his cancer-stricken friend President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who some analysts have suggested he could succeed as the standard-bearer of Latin America’s left.

“We are only here to serve you. Nothing for us. Everything for you,” Correa told cheering supporters from the balcony of the Carondelet presidential palace Sunday shortly after polls closed.

Yet Correa has also drawn wide rebuke for intolerance of dissent and some analysts have questioned how sustainable his economic policies are. The number of people working for the government has burgeoned from 16,000 to 90,000 during Correa’s current term if office, Ecuador’s nongovernmental Observatory of Fiscal Policy reported in December.

Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, called Correa’s ramping up of social spending “simply applying the standard recipe for many populist governments in the region.” While it succeeds in building political support in the short term, he said, it is not clear whether it is sustainable.

And while Correa has shown himself to be the “undisputed rhetorical leader of Latin America’s left” — and should now see his standing enhanced there — Shifter said Correa’s consolidation of power have damaged Ecuador’s “already precarious institutions” and he lacks the clout, the ambition and the coffers to build a coalition that could curtail U.S. power in the region.

Correa’s result Sunday easily topped the 51.7 percent that he won in his first re-election in April 2009. He is barred by the constitution from another 4-year term.

While a practitioner of one-man rule in the Chavez mold, he is more respectful of private property.

Ecuador relies on petroleum for more than half of its export earnings, and he has used this oil wealth to make public education and health care more accessible, and lay thousands of kilometers (miles) of new highways.

Foreign investment has suffered, however, and Lasso, the former head of the Banco de Guayaquil, ran on a platform of guaranteeing multinational businesses more favorable terms, such as abolishing a 5 percent tax on capital removed from Ecuador.

Correa said he’s happy to have more foreign investment but “it’s better not to have it than to mortgage the country in the name of that pipe dream called foreign investment.”

He did not explain, meanwhile, how he planned to pay for efforts to “quicken and deepen” poverty reduction. Skeptical economists say the state can’t afford it without major new revenue sources.

Such talk doesn’t dim the enthusiasm for Correa of the likes of Jomaira Espinosa.

“Before (Correa), my family didn’t have enough to eat” and her father couldn’t find work, the 18-year-old said. Now her father has a job as a public servant and she expects to be able to study for free at a university thanks to Correa’s programs.

Since Correa took office in 2007, the United Nations says Ecuador’s poverty rate has dropped nearly five percentage points to 32.4 percent. In all, 1.9 million people receive $50 a month in aid from the state. Critics complain that the handouts to single mothers, needy families and the elderly poor, along with other subsidies, have bloated the government.

Civil liberties, meantime, have suffered.

Correa has been widely condemned for using criminal libel law against opposition news media and for such strong-arm tactics as seizing Ecuador’s airwaves virtually at will to spread his political gospel and attack opponents.

German Calapucha, a 29-year-old accountant, said he voted against Correa because he’s tired of the president’s imperiousness.

“He thinks that because he wins elections he has the right to mistreat people,” Calapucha said.

Correa has eroded the influence not just of opposition political parties but also of the Roman Catholic Church and independent news media. He has stacked courts with friendly judges and prosecuted indigenous leaders for organizing protests against Correa’s attempt to open up Ecuador to large-scale mining without their consent.

Meanwhile, Correa has been unable to stop a growing sensation of vulnerability in a country where robberies and burglaries grew 30 percent in 2012 compared with the previous year.

The graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign gained an early reputation as a maverick, defying international financiers by defaulting on $3.9 billion in foreign debt obligations and rewriting contracts with oil multinationals to secure a higher share of oil revenues for Ecuador.

He has also kept the United States at arm’s length while upsetting Britain and Sweden in August by granting asylum at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the online spiller of leaked U.S. government secrets who is wanted for questioning in Sweden for alleged sexual assault.

Correa has, meanwhile, cozied up to U.S. rivals Iran and China. The latter is the biggest buyer of Ecuador’s oil and holds $3.4 billion in Ecuadorean debt, according to Finance Minister Patricio Rivera.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the ... story.html

The leftist surge in most of South America is in part due to the much criticized liberation theology of the 60's and 70's of last century. Liberation theology clergy succeeded in increasing poor people's awareness of their power and rights, and although more reactionary popes succeeded in discouraging the movement within the Church the fact is that by then control had passed into the hands of the laity. Their efforts finally led to power being won by radical non-leninist leftists in countries like Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela, who have succeeded in combining social concerns with democracy.

[Doc]

So why is it that "leftists" are always trying to control the press?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/ ... NL20130218

Ecuador's re-elected Correa vows media and land reforms

By Eduardo Garcia and Brian Ellsworth

QUITO | Mon Feb 18, 2013 2:37pm EST

(Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa vowed on Monday to press ahead with laws to control the media and redistribute land to the poor as he looks to deepen his socialist revolution after a resounding re-election victory.

Correa, a pugnacious 49-year-old economist, trounced his nearest rival by more than 30 percentage points on Sunday to win a new four-year term. He has already been in power for six years, winning broad support with ambitious social spending programs.

His re-election triumph could set him up to become Latin America's most outspoken critic of Washington as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is struggling to overcome cancer.

But Correa will have to balance his desire for an agenda similar to Chavez's radical socialism with a need for pragmatic negotiations with foreign investors to raise Ecuador's oil production and spur the mining industry.

He focused on his socialist reforms on Monday, saying he'd push through legislation that has been blocked by opposition leaders in Congress.

"The first thing we'll do is to push through key laws that have been left to wither as a way of hurting Correa, but this has actually hurt the country," Correa said in an interview with regional television network Telesur.

Those include a proposed land redistribution drive to give terrain deemed unproductive to poor peasants and setting up a showdown with large banana and flower producers, much the way Chavez took on Venezuelan ranchers during a decade-long land expropriation campaign.

Correa's plan to create a state watchdog group to determine if media have published inappropriate content also echoes Chavez's controls over television and cable broadcasters, and would extend Correa's vitriolic fight with opposition media.

In addition, Ecuadoreans voted for a new Congress on Sunday and Correa said he expected his ruling Alianza Pais to win a majority. That would help speed his efforts to pass the proposed legislation.

But he is also expected to pass a new mining law that would ease investment terms as a way of helping close a deal with Canada's Kinross to develop a large gold reserve. That will be a major test of his ability to offer investment security while ensuring the state keeps a large portion of revenue.

"Without a doubt this reform will make the country attractive to foreign investors ... and help attract large investments," said Santiago Yepez, the head of Ecuador's mining chamber.

With almost two-thirds of votes counted by Monday morning, Correa had 57 percent support while conservative opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso was in second place with 24 percent.

The election established Lasso, a former banker from the coastal city of Guayaquil, as the face of the opposition. Six other candidates trailed way behind.

Lasso has called Correa a dangerous authoritarian who has curbed media freedom and controlled state institutions.

Even some supporters disapprove of Correa's tempestuous outbursts, fights with media and bullying of adversaries

SOCIALIST ALLIANCE

His re-election puts him in line to be the de facto leader of the leftist ALBA group of Latin American nations that push state-driven economic policies and oppose free-market reforms promoted by Washington.

Chavez made a surprise return to Venezuela on Monday after two months of cancer treatment in Cuba, but his health is delicate and it is unclear if he will be able to stay in power and continue being the region's leftist standard bearer.

The continued success of Latin American socialism will depend on strong commodities prices that underpin generous social spending, and Correa needs foreign investment to ensure state coffers remain full during his next four-year term.

Ecuador has been locked out of capital markets since a 2008 debt default on $3.2 billion in bonds, and Correa's government has taken an aggressive stance with oil companies to squeeze more revenue from their operations.

Correa's recent statements show that although he wants to maintain many of his radical policies, he also wants to soften his reputation as an anti-capitalist crusader within investing circles.

"The advantages of our country for foreign investment are political stability, a strong macroeconomic performance ... and important stimulus to new private investment," he said last week while hosting the emir of gas-rich Qatar.

Correa's government is also in talks with China to secure funding for the $12.5 billion Pacifico refinery, which would allow Ecuador to save up to $5 billion a year in fuel imports.

"We can't be beggars sitting on a sack of gold," is a catch phrase Correa has used in recent months to argue that Ecuador needs to attract oil investments and expand a mining industry that has barely begun to tap its gold and copper reserves.

[Endovelico]

I don't think it's a question of "leftists" wanting to control the media, it's more a question of leftist governments not wanting to leave most of the media in the hands of the oligarchic capitalist minority. The most reactionary forces in the world have kept political power by manipulating public opinion through a controlled media. If a socialist government doesn't break this oligarchic monopoly it risks being subverted by a constant propaganda barrage. There are newspapers and television channels controlled by the oligarchy in Venezuela, Ecuador or Bolivia, but they no longer have the monopoly of the media, which means citizens now have a chance to hear both sides of any story.

[Doc]

I don't think it's a question of "leftists" wanting to control the media, it's more a question of leftist governments not wanting to leave most of the media in the hands of the oligarchic capitalist minority. The most reactionary forces in the world have kept political power by manipulating public opinion through a controlled media. If a socialist government doesn't break this oligarchic monopoly it risks being subverted by a constant propaganda barrage. There are newspapers and television channels controlled by the oligarchy in Venezuela, Ecuador or Bolivia, but they no longer have the monopoly of the media, which means citizens now have a chance to hear both sides of any story.

It also means that the opposition does not have a voice. This in turns covers up the sheer mismanagement of socialist dictators and the lack of rule of law. The media is controlled in such cases for one of two reasons. Leadership either wants to steal without oversight or they don't like being shown to be fools.

Controlling the media always leads to bad things including bad government.

[Endovelico]

I don't think it's a question of "leftists" wanting to control the media, it's more a question of leftist governments not wanting to leave most of the media in the hands of the oligarchic capitalist minority. The most reactionary forces in the world have kept political power by manipulating public opinion through a controlled media. If a socialist government doesn't break this oligarchic monopoly it risks being subverted by a constant propaganda barrage. There are newspapers and television channels controlled by the oligarchy in Venezuela, Ecuador or Bolivia, but they no longer have the monopoly of the media, which means citizens now have a chance to hear both sides of any story.

It also means that the opposition does not have a voice. This in turns covers up the sheer mismanagement of socialist dictators and the lack of rule of law. The media is controlled in such cases for one of two reasons. Leadership either wants to steal without oversight or they don't like being shown to be fools.

Controlling the media always leads to bad things including bad government.

In all referred countries there are media outlets not controlled by the government, and which can easily be read or heard by anyone in those countries. What has changed is that now the oligarchic forces no longer have a monopoly of those outlets. But their voice can be heard. In fact, the press is now a lot freer in Latin America than it ever was.

[Doc]

I don't think it's a question of "leftists" wanting to control the media, it's more a question of leftist governments not wanting to leave most of the media in the hands of the oligarchic capitalist minority. The most reactionary forces in the world have kept political power by manipulating public opinion through a controlled media. If a socialist government doesn't break this oligarchic monopoly it risks being subverted by a constant propaganda barrage. There are newspapers and television channels controlled by the oligarchy in Venezuela, Ecuador or Bolivia, but they no longer have the monopoly of the media, which means citizens now have a chance to hear both sides of any story.

It also means that the opposition does not have a voice. This in turns covers up the sheer mismanagement of socialist dictators and the lack of rule of law. The media is controlled in such cases for one of two reasons. Leadership either wants to steal without oversight or they don't like being shown to be fools.

Controlling the media always leads to bad things including bad government.

In all referred countries there are media outlets not controlled by the government, and which can easily be read or heard by anyone in those countries. What has changed is that now the oligarchic forces no longer have a monopoly of those outlets. But their voice can be heard. In fact, the press is now a lot freer in Latin America than it ever was.

That is utter rot Endo. The first thing socialist in Latin America want to do is close or restrict media outlets that don't support them. Of course right wing dictators do the same thing. But in countries that have seen periods when they were lead by neither there has been a free press. Venezuelia prior to Chavez for example had a long history of democratic government and a free press.

[Endovelico]

(...) And just in case there were any doubts of what Ecuador was telling the Obama Administration, the nation’s Communications Secretary, Fernando Alvarado, announced $23 million in Ecuadoran aid to the United States to provide “human rights training” to combat torture, illegal executions and “attacks on peoples’ privacy.” (...)

http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/27/ecua ... d-threats/

[monster_gardener]

Thank You Very Much for maintaining the forum, Admins Typhoon and YMix

The country where anti-surveillance hero Edward Snowden wants to take refuge spent half a million dollars on an Israeli-made “GSM interceptor” in a deal brokered by a U.S. middleman. Seeking the capacity to “intercept text messages, falsify and modify the text messages” among other tricks.

WASHINGTON — The intelligence agency of Ecuador appears to have sought in recent months to obtain new equipment for a large-scale surveillance, according to confidential government documents obtained by BuzzFeed.

The capabilities sought by Ecuador resemble the National Security Agency practices revealed by Edward Snowden, who is reportedly seeking asylum in the left-leaning Latin American republic.................

The Ecuadorian documents — stamped “Secret” — obtained by BuzzFeed appear to show the government purchasing a “GSM Interceptor” system, among other domestic spying tools, and they suggest a commitment to domestic surveillance that rivals the practices by the United States’ National Security Agency that are at the center of a fierce national debate. They include both covert surveillance capacities and the targeting of President Rafael Correa’s enemies on social media. According to the files, SENAIN keeps close tabs on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of journalists, opposition politicians and other individuals, some with few followers.

Ecuador, which has been harboring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for over a year at its embassy, has been internationally criticized for a recent communications law that is widely seen as a gag order for the media and includes prohibitions on “media lynching.”

Ecuador also has a record of being ahead of the game in domestic surveillance. Last year, it became the first country in the world to implement a nation-wide facial and voice recognition system. *

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/exclu ... -practices


Equador appears more hypocritical than heroic...........


World full of anti-heroes....... And worse.......


*surveillance_ecuador_implements_speech_technology_center_s_facial_and_voice.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense ... voice.html


Equador defends-domestic-surveillance

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/ecuad ... rveillance