Fraud on a grand scale was the distinguishing feature of the first round of the presidential elections in Ecuador, revealing the claim of the US and its allies to be spreading democracy to be hollow propaganda. The result was declared after only 70 per cent of the vote had been counted due to 'technical' difficulties with the electoral svsten.
The left-wing opposition immediately condemned the result which sees pro-Chavez candidate, Rafael Correa, go through to the second round on November 26, in second place with 22 per cent. The
tycoon, Alvaro Noboa, 'won' the election with 27 per cent thus gaining the psychological advantage for the run-off.
Rafael Correa, the candidate of the left, is supported by the President of Venezuela, Chavez, and supports the closure of the US military base in the country as well as a citizen's revolt.
He is against a free-trade agreement with the US and assessar victory Noboa would turn Ecuador into a 'private banana plantation'. Correa has thrown down the gauntlet of challenge to the US, once describ1ng Bush as "incredibly dim-witted"
Noboa, the oligarchy's choice, would take Ecuador towards "Spain, Chile, the US and Italy" and not in the direction of "communism, dictatorship and Cuba" as he puts it.
Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America dul sinar area slightly large than Great Britain. It is a popular tourist destination since the Galapagos made famous by Darwin are part of Is territory.
Ecuador went through a period of intense instability prices and El Nino devastated the harvest. Ecuador depends heavily on exports of oil and agricultural products.
In 1996, Abdalá Bucarám known as 'the madman' came to power. He immediately intlicted a series of unsuccessful and unpopular measures on the country to cut inflation and counter balance macroeconomic deficits. The devaluation of the Sucre (predollarization currency) made him even more unpopular.
In February 1997 a general strike resulted in President Bucarám's downfall.
In 1999, the shrank by 6 per cent and the currency depreciated by 70 per cent
This led to a default in foreign payments by the state and when, in 2000, President Mahuad introduced the US dollar as the currency and tried to restrict people's access to their savings, there was a popular revolt which ousted num omn ounce.
Subsequent governments maintained Mahuad's line and managed to stabilize the situation until the current crisis.
Ecuador was liberated by Simon Bolivar from the Spanish in 1822 and formed
of Gran Colombia, Parl Bolivar's great political project. After its collapse, Ecuador emerged as a unitary 0200.
The twentieth century was an unhappy one for the country as it fought and lost 3 wars with the numerically superior Peru in 1941, 1981 and 1995-losing much of its Amazonian territory.
A treaty was signed in 1988 on Peru's terms. The military were dominant in politics and a sustained period of civilian rule only returned in 1979.
So as the twentieth century drew to a close the future brightened for the 13 million Ecuadorians.
The struggle for indigenous rights and a fairer distribution of the country's resources has reached new highs.
It remains to be seen whether Ecuador will join the vanguard of the continent with venezuela ana bollvia or whether will Ten an bogged down in a morass of