Argentine President Cristina Kirchner with Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa. (Presidencia de la República del Ecuador Flickr)
President Rafael Correa marks eight years in office, Jan. 15, 2015, having overseen the transformation of Ecuador. After decades of being one of the poorest countries in the region, the revolutionary government has undertaken a series of deep reforms, which have delivered remarkable changes for Ecuador’s long-excluded majority.
In the process, Ecuador joined Bolivia and Venezuela in rejecting the extreme free-market policies that were forced on Latin America by the International Monetary Fund, and other similarly influential bodies. As President Rafael Correa said in 2014, “People must prevail over capital,” adding that politics is about whose interest governments serve: “Elites or the majority? Capital or humankind? The market or society? Policies and programs depend on who holds the balance of power.”
A society in crisis
Economist and university professor Rafael Correa took office in 2007 . Before his election, Correa had served as the Economy Minister during the interim government of Alfredo Palacio, who succeeded ousted President Lucio Gutierrez.
Gutierrez was the seventh president forced out of office in a decade. The country had seen increasing political instability after the economy collapsed in a banking crisis in 1999, leading to the adoption of the U.S. dollar as the national currency in 2000. Unemployment skyrocketed, and almost one in ten Ecuadoreans fled their country to escape the crisis.
As Economy Minister, Correa expressed his opposition to Palacio’s plans of signing a free trade agreement with the United States, and then resigned after the World Bank froze an important loan. Correa left after opposition to policies he implemented, and due to a lack of support from the president.
Refounding the nation
Ahead of the 2006 elections, Correa and several other Ecuadorean politicians founded the movement PAIS Alliance, and proposed the drafting of a new Constitution to solve the crisis facing Ecuador.
Correa took office in 2007, and ratified the new Constitution by popular referendum the following year. Since then, the Citizens’ Revolution – a name chosen by Correa’s supporters commemorating the mass demonstrations that ousted presidents – has strengthen the Ecuadorean state.
After five years in office, the government has significantly boosted economic growth to the extent that it is one of the best in the region, at an average of 4.2 percent over the past seven years. That success was achieved in spite of the fact Correa came to office on the eve of the global financial crisis, and Ecuador is hampered by not having its own currency. Central to stronger growth was the tripling of social investment, which now accounts for 15 percent of the country’s GDP, along with safeguards to ensure the wealth is being successfully redistributed to benefit all Ecuadoreans.
As a result, the poverty index has fallen by one-third, with over 1.1 million lifted out of poverty since 2007. Ecuador has also seen inequality fall faster than any other country in the region. The Citizens Revolution has pushed innovative policies to ensure greater social justice. For example, the minimum wage has been raised to US$354, one of the highest in Latin America, but this is enforced with robust policies, such as preventing companies paying dividends unless workers are paid a living wage.
Some economists speculated these changes would result in rising unemployment, but it has seen the contrary; Ecuador now has the lowest unemployment rate in its history at 4.9 percent. In education and health, too, which had been seriously debilitated under previous governments, the Citizens’ Revolution has made great strides.
The Correa administration has restored the role of the state in both these sectors; guaranteeing free education up to university level, and implementing free healthcare. Ecuador now has the second highest level of public investment in higher education in the world. To fund much of this, the Correa government targeted tax evasion, a big problem which had been bleeding public revenues. Ecuador now raises three times more in taxes than it did in 2006.
Democratic mandate
As a result of this social change, President Correa has been rated as one of the most popular presidents in Latin America throughout his administration. Furthermore, political stability has returned to the Andean nation. The president was re-elected in the 2009 – following the adoption of the new constitution – and in 2013 general elections.
Popular support has also helped him win popular referendums, in 2007, 2008 and 2011. All in all Correa and his supporters have won 10 elections since 2007.
Promoting equality
Under Correa, tackling discrimination has also been given greater emphasis than in the country’s past. During his first election campaign in 2006, Correa addressed his supporters in Quechua, the country’s most widely-spoken indigenous language.
In 2007, with help of the Venezuelan government, Ecuador inaugurated its first public TV station and, together with the state-owned radio station, promoted programs in Quechua and other indigenous languages. This has boosted the use of different native languages, which were formerly endangered.
Laws to protect minorities have also been implemented, including a law which compels companies to reserve four percent of jobs for people with disabilities, and other quotas for minority ethnic groups – such as indigenous communities and Afro-Ecuadorians – in order to narrow inequality gaps.
The same has been applied in the country’s higher education system, where indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorean community inclusion has soared. “Fierce opposition came from the old elite and its allies in Washington” With the new Media Law – approved in 2013 – the indigenous communities will have greater access to community media. The law assigns 34 percent of the country’s radio and TV frequencies to community media.
So far, 14 radio frequencies have been assigned to each of the country’s indigenous groups. The government will also provide training and special funding options to support the small media outlets, in an effort to continue promoting native languages and cultural exchanges.
Widespread changes to disability laws mean that people with physical and mental disabilities are much better-provided for than previously, and large-scale government campaigns have tackled discrimination and improved inclusion in society.
Anti-imperialist foreign policy
In order to tackle Western domination, the Correa government shut the U.S. military base in Manta, asserted control over the country’s oil and other natural resources, taking them away from domination by multinationals, and canceled the punishing international debt, which Correa explained meant in the past three times as much was spent on debt repayment than on social services.
As a result, fierce opposition came from the old elite and its allies in Washington, and the 2010 coup proved how concerned the old powers were at Correa’s successes. On Sept. 30, a police strike ended up in a violent revolt against President Correa, who was held hostage in a hospital for several hours.
The clashes resulted in 10 deaths including a presidential guard. Documents emerged showing massive U.S. funding for policemen and opposition groups, through USAID. Despite this direct threat, Correa continued to assert an independent foreign policy; one of his boldest moves was granting Julian Assange asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012, a move that angered the U.K., Swedish and United States governments.
Justice for former human rights abuses
Another major transformation the Citizens’ Revolution achieved was the restructuring of the judicial system. The National Court of Justice – the country’s highest court – was revamped, and the outdated procedures of the past reformed. This reform was key to addressing the human rights abuses carried during Leon Febres Cordero’s presidency. The president – who is considered by many as a dictator – reigned over the judicial system through his designation of key positions to his closest allies. President Correa’s government established a truth commission to investigate human rights abuses in the country from 1984 to 2008. So far, nine people have been jailed on charges for crimes against humanity, due to their involvement in torture and murder during Febres Cordero’s rule.
A true revolution
As the famous Cuban revolutionary and singer Pablo Milanes once said, the Citizens’ Revolution in Ecuador is “one of the most authentic revolutions in Latin America.”