Via the LAT: Leftist rolling to victory in Ecuador’s presidential race:
In a potential blow to already-weakened U.S. influence in Latin America, leftist economist Rafael Correa appeared to be sweeping to victory Sunday in Ecuador’s presidential election. A native of Guayaquil, Correa received about 65% of the vote, overpowering banana magnate and perennial candidate Alvaro Noboa, who garnered 35%, according to an official count of 20% of the ballots cast. Full results won’t be known until today or Tuesday. Noboa has not conceded. Correa, 43, a career academic with a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois, has promised to pursue a socialist agenda similar to that of his political mentor, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Like Chavez, he has pledged to make sweeping changes to his nation’s corrupt and inefficient political system by convening a new constitutional assembly and concentrating power in the presidency.
What that means in real terms, however, remains to be seen:
Correa’s chances of carrying out the changes he has promised would be complicated by his lack of support in Ecuador’s newly elected Congress, which would have to authorize a constitutional assembly or referendum to make the changes Correa wants. Correa has threatened to dissolve Congress.
The situation is, as they say, developing.
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November 27th, 2024 at 2:26 pm
[...] I have not followed the Ecuador vote closely, but I had the impression, from reports of opinion polls, that it was going to be close. But, PoliBlog notes a report that Rafael Correa appears to have won around 65% in Sunday’s two-candidate runoff for the presidency. 65-35 is not close. This is a surprise. [...]