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 Ecuador
President Rafael Correa Wins New Constitution and Seeks to Establish
Internal Stability
Correa immediately set out to boost economic
growth and root out corruption in the country's political system. In an
April 2007 referendum, voters overwhelmingly approved his call to rewrite the
constitution. He hoped the new constitution would weaken Congress, which
has been called inept and corrupt. Correa's critics accused him of trying
to consolidate power, with moves reminiscent of Venezuelan president Hugo
Chavez. In September 2008, 64% of voters approved the new constitution that
increased presidential powers and allowed Correa to run for two more
consecutive terms.
In March 2008, Colombian forces crossed into
Ecuadorean territory and killed FARC rebel leader Raúl Reyes and 20 other
rebels. In response, Venezuela and Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations
with Colombia and sent troops to the Colombian borders, although both
countries denied any ties to FARC. In an attempt to help cool the
diplomatic tension between the three countries, the Organization of
American States approved a resolution, which declared that the Colombian
raid into Ecuador was a violation of sovereignty. On March 6, Nicaragua
broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia to demonstrate unity with
President Rafael Correa of Ecuador. On March 7, 2008, during a summit
meeting in the Dominican Republic, the leaders of Colombia, Ecuador,
Venezuela, and Nicaragua ended their diplomatic dispute over Colombia's
raid into Ecuador.
In September 2010, police protesting Correa's plan to end bonuses and reduce other benefits for the force fired tear gas at the president and then held him captive in a hospital for more than 12 hours. He was rescued by special forces, but five people were killed in the operation and nearly 40 were injured. Correa accused the officers of attempting a coup and declared a state of emergency.
A package of ten constitutional amendments tackling judicial and media reforms went to vote on May 7, 2011. President Rafael Correa's "Yes" campaign won all the questions with an average just over 47%. Correa claimed the referendums were needed to support the police and eliminate corrupt and inept judges; opponents say the reforms were a presidential power-seeking move.
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