The 2010 Ecuador crisis took place on 30 September 2010, when the
National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: Cuban National Police
*East Timor: National Police of ...
operatives blockaded highways, occupied the
National Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
, blocked the
Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Mariscal Sucre International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre) is an international airport serving Quito, Ecuador. It is the busiest airport in Ecuador and one of the busiest airports in South America. It is located in t ...
in Quito
and the
José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in
Guayaquil
, motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America
, pushpin_re ...
,
and controlled the ''TV Ecuador''
's station, in what they claimed was a strike to oppose a government-sponsored law that supposedly reduced their benefits.
Unrest and looting were reported in seven provinces of the country because of the lack of law enforcement.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado (; born 6 April 1963), known as Rafael Correa, is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation ...
went to the police headquarters in Quito despite recommendations from his own security personnel not to attend and make things worse. He was ill-received, delivering a harsh speech in which he accused the police ranks of treason to the people and the country, and dared them to kill him.
[ After he was pelted by the police ranks,] and a tear gas canister went off, Correa was escorted to a hospital in the same compound. According to '' El País'', ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', '' El Correo'' and Correa himself, the policemen then surrounded the building and prevented him from leaving. From the hospital, Correa declared a state of emergency and said that a "coup d'état was taking place", and attributed responsibility to the government's opposition. According to state news agency ANDES
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
, police radio recordings from the night of 30 September revealed that the police intended to kill Correa. Thousands of civilians came out to support Correa and gathered around the hospital in which he was held hostage. Clashes occurred between rebellious police forces and loyal army and police forces, who successfully took Correa out of the hospital after he had allegedly been held for 10 hours.
Ecuador's Health Minister said the events had left eight dead and 274 people wounded. Of the casualties, it is known that one was a university student, and that a police officer and two military personnel involved in the rescue operation were also among those killed.
The Union of South American Nations
The Union of South American Nations (USAN; es, links=no, Unión de Naciones Suramericanas, UNASUR; pt, links=no, União de Nações Sul-Americanas, UNASUL; nl, links=no, Unie van Zuid-Amerikaanse Naties, UZAN; French: ''Union des nations s ...
(UNASUR), the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza
José Miguel Insulza Salinas (born June 2, 1943) is a Chilean politician, lawyer, and academic serving as a Senate of Chile, senator for the Arica y Parinacota Region since 2018. He previously served as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chile), Minis ...
referred to the events as an attempted coup d'état.
Background
Ecuador's recent history has been characterized by institutional instability. Between 1997 and 2007, Ecuador has had eight presidents,[ and two of them had been overthrown in political unrest: ]Jamil Mahuad
Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt (born 29 July 1949) is an Ecuadorian lawyer, academic and former politician. He was the 41st president of Ecuador from 10 August 1998, to 21 January 2000.
Early life
Mahuad was born in Loja, Ecuador. He is of Lebane ...
in 2000 and Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born 23 March 1957 in Quito) served as 43rd President of Ecuador from 15 January 2003 to 20 April 2005.
Early life
Lucio Gutierrez, in full Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbua, (born 23 March 1957, Quito, Ecuador), ...
in 2005. Since then, Correa's PAIS alliance
PAIS Alliance is a centre-left social democratic political party in Ecuador. In 2016, it had 979,691 members.
Founded by Rafael Correa in April 2006, the party soon found success amid the "pink tide" period in Latin America. The party's early pe ...
has won five consecutive elections, including two Presidential elections ( 2006 and 2009), a referendum to modify the Constitution and a referendum to approve the new Constitution. A poll published on 15 September 2010 showed Correa had a 67% approval rating in Quito and 59% in Guayaquil.
Public Service Organic Law
The Public Service Organic Law was drafted by the executive, and was perceived by the armed forces and law enforcement as introducing cuts to their benefits. Such cuts included: the removal of Christmas bonuses, bonuses accompanying the awarding of medals, as well as service awards based on time in service. The draft generated much controversy during parliamentary debates. However, it passed through first, second and plenary rounds of parliamentary votes in the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
. On 3 September, President Correa made a partial objection to the law proposal. According to an ''Ecuavisa
Ecuavisa is an Ecuadorian free-to-air television network that was launched on March 1, 1967 on Quito's channel 8 and Guayaquil's channel 2. It is one of the leading TV networks in the country. The channel has an international feed named ''Ecua ...
'' report, government sources indicated that Correa considered dissolving parliament and calling for new elections due to disagreements within his own party with respect to his concerns over the new legislation. As of 30 September, after fifteen months of debate, the law proposal had not yet been finalised by the Assembly. It was argued by some that the police were ill-informed of the new measures, which were not meant to cut benefits; rather the benefits were intended to be provided by other means.
As the events developed officials, and the Latin America media, as well as Correa supporters, expressed concern that they could follow the same course as the 2009 Honduran coup d'état in which another left-leaning Latin American president, Manuel Zelaya
José Manuel Zelaya Rosales (born 20 September 1952)Encyclopædia BritannicaManuel Zelaya/ref> is a Honduran politician who was President of Honduras from 27 January 2006 until 28 June 2009, and who since January 2022 serves as the first Fir ...
, was overthrown by the military during a constitutional crisis
In political science, a constitutional crisis is a problem or conflict in the function of a government that the political constitution or other fundamental governing law is perceived to be unable to resolve. There are several variations to this ...
.[Ecuador in turmoil amid 'coup attempt'](_blank)
– AFP/Yahoo News, 30 September 2010. "The unrest, which recalled a coup which overthrew the elected president in Honduras last year" (Correa is known as, and describes himself as, "left-wing".) The ruling government in Honduras sent a message of support for Correa after news of the crisis in Ecuador broke.
Attack on the president
On the morning of 30 September, members of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces
The Ecuadorian Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas del Ecuador) is the national military force of Ecuador. The commander-in-chief is the President of Ecuador, currently Guillermo Lasso. The military is generally under civilian control, specifica ...
and National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: Cuban National Police
*East Timor: National Police of ...
occupied several barracks and set up road blocks in nine of the country's provincial capitals to demand that special bonuses paid to the police and military. These police and armed forces occupied the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
building. The Ecuadorian Air Force
The Ecuadorian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE) is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador and responsible for the protection of the Ecuadorian airspace.
Mission
To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional ...
shut down Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Mariscal Sucre International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre) is an international airport serving Quito, Ecuador. It is the busiest airport in Ecuador and one of the busiest airports in South America. It is located in t ...
in Quito and José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil
, motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America
, pushpin_re ...
, forcing their closure for several hours. Police also blocked roads in Guayaquil
, motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America
, pushpin_re ...
, the largest city of Ecuador, and reported unrest in 2 other cities. Looters also ransacked banks, supermarkets and shopping malls in the port city of Guayaquil.
President Correa went to the police barracks in Quito where he arrived at 11:00 A.M. (GMT+5); after being ill-received – an honor guard was not assembled – he first tried to have a dialogue with the police and criticized their actions as treason to "the people and the country", but after hearing hostile police chant "Lucio
Lucio is an Italian and Spanish male given name derived from the Latin name ''Lucius''. In Portuguese, the given name is accented Lúcio.
Lucio is also an Italian surname.
Given name
* Lúcio (Lucimar Ferreira da Silva) (born 1978), Brazilian ...
presidente, Lucio presidente" he screamed "'If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill me, if you want to. Kill me if you are brave enough!" After Correa had left the barracks, he was attacked by the police with a tear gas canister that almost hit Correa's head. Demonstrators tried to kick his knee that had recently been operated on. Correa was walking with a cane because of the operation.
Correa was escorted to a hospital in the same compound. Police forces outside the hospital building surrounded it and kept him from leaving; a helicopter tried to evacuate him and his entourage but was prevented from landing by obstacles in the landing pad. They also arrested one member of his close protection team. '' La Hora Nacional'' however reported that two hospital employees denied it was a hostage situation, '' El País'' reported recorded dialogues between the policemen, in which they announce their intentions to kill him or put him out of office.
From the hospital, Correa declared a state of emergency, after he accused the opposition and security forces of an attempted coup and orchestrating the protests. He stated that he was declaring a five-day state of emergency in an attempt to restore order.
Reports indicated the armed forces remained loyal to the constitutional order.[ Al Jazeera English News Update. 1 October 2010, 3:00.] Correa said that a rescue operation had been ready for a few hours, but was postponed so as to avoid more bloodshed.[ Correa's supporters, as well, urged by the country's foreign minister to rescue "their president,"] were stopped from meeting the president, and clashed with the police around Quito. They reportedly chanted "This is not Honduras," in reference to the 2009 coup in that country. Hundreds of Correa supporters gathered outside the National Assembly, which was seized by striking police, while Interior Minister Gustavo Jahlk met with representatives of the rebellious police.
By afternoon, protesters took control of the channels. Many attacks on journalists and photojournalists by rebellious police, have been denounced in Quito and other cities. Workers and equipment of Ecuador TV
Ecuador TV is the public service channel of Ecuador established in October 2007 thanks to a provision of non-reimbursable funds of $5 million of the Economic and Social Development Bank of Venezuela (BANDES by its Spanish acronym).
The ch ...
, Radio Pública, Ecuavisa
Ecuavisa is an Ecuadorian free-to-air television network that was launched on March 1, 1967 on Quito's channel 8 and Guayaquil's channel 2. It is one of the leading TV networks in the country. The channel has an international feed named ''Ecua ...
, Teleamazonas
Teleamazonas is an Ecuadorian television network that was launched on 22 February 1974. It is one of the major television networks in the country. It was founded by Antonio Granda Centeno and has two feeds: one produced in Quito and broadcast in ...
, and El Comercio, were object of aggression, several ecuatorian journalists being wounded. International journalists, from AFP and teleSUR have also been attacked.
Rescue operation
In the late hours of the evening, three teams of special police and army teams (GIR, GOE and army paratroopers) and elite army troops part of a force of around 500 uniformed personnel loyal to their allegiance rescued him after clashes with rebellious police forces inside and outside the hospital building. The rescue from the hospital, was shown live on Ecuadorean television. Bullets hit his room during the rescue operation. Venezuelan-American lawyer Eva Golinger
Eva Golinger (born 19 February 1973) is a Venezuelan-American lawyer, writer and journalist. She practices law in New York and specializes in immigration and international law. She is the author of several books about the late Hugo Chávez, of ...
stated that investigators "concluded hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
coup forces were attempting to assassinate him before he could be rescued." As Correa was rescued, his armoured car was hit by four bullets but the investigation shows that the car, a Nissan Patrol, that had been used to rescue the president didn't have any impacts, and it is still unclear where was the black armoured vehicle (Ford) when it was hit.
Correa was then taken to the Presidential Palace, where he gave a "fiery speech" to the public thanking those who supported him and came to Quito to support the "citizen's revolution and democracy in our country" and the members of the government who risked their lives in support of him. He also thanked UNASUR and the other Latin American countries that supported him.
He criticized those who attempted the coup saying: "How could they call themselves police after acting like this against the people?", and said there would not be any immunity for the perpetrators nor would there be any "negotiation under duress".[ He called the attackers "cowards" and claimed to have spoken to officers who were holding him hostage at the hospital and asked them two questions: Have you ever been paid this well? and have you read the law? He claimed they said they had never been better treated than through his administration and that they had not read the controversial law. When the protesters asked him to revoke the law, he answered that he did not have the power to do so and that he would leave as president or as a corpse, and in the end he left with his "head held high".
]
Alleged perpetrators
President Correa said that "the uprising was incited for political motives" and accused former President Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born 23 March 1957 in Quito) served as 43rd President of Ecuador from 15 January 2003 to 20 April 2005.
Early life
Lucio Gutierrez, in full Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbua, (born 23 March 1957, Quito, Ecuador), ...
and other opposition politicians for "attempting to instigate a coup". He said that there were infiltrates from "well-known political parties" among the rebellious police. Police were also heard chanting "Lucio Gutiérrez president" while Correa spoke to them. Gutiérrez' former lawyer was reported to have been spotted amongst a crowd of officers that stormed the building of the state television ECTV and cut off the transmission.
Lucio Gutiérrez, a former president ousted by a popular uprising and leader of the opposition Sociedad Patriótica Party, who had participated in the coup d'état against Jamil Mahuad said that the only responsible for the situation was Correa himself and his "abusive, corrupt and prepotent government". He accused President Correa of trying to divert the attention from corruption scandals affecting his government. Gutiérrez said "Is true that we want to take Correa out, but with votes, and he shall finish his term so we can defeat him in free election (...) non-fraudulent". During the incident Gutiérrez suggested the dissolution of the National Assembly as a "solution to avoid the possibility of bloodshed in the country",[The ]National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
replaced the National Congress in 2009, under the 2008 Constitution of Ecuador
The Constitution of Ecuador is the supreme law of Ecuador. The current constitution has been in place since 2008. It is the country's 20th constitution.
History
Ecuador has had new constitutions promulgated in 1830, 1835, 1843, 1845, 1851, 1852, ...
. coinciding with the actions of the police who had taken occupation of the assembly building.
Journalist Jean-Guy Allard
Jean-Guy Allard (1948 – August 16, 2016) was a Canadian journalist, who worked as an editor and reporter for ''Le Journal de Montréal'' and ''Le Journal de Québec'' from 1971 to 2000.Jean-Guy Allard and Eva Golinger (2009)La Agresión Permane ...
claimed, on Radio Del Sur, that the "coup attempt confirmed" a 2008 report by Defence Minister Javier Ponce on infiltration of the Ecuadorian police by United States intelligence agents, including funding of police equipment and operations, and payment of informers.[ ''(archival copy has CSS problem: change style or select text to read)''] In response to the 2008 report, US ambassador Heather Hodges stated that the US "works with" the Ecuadorian military and police "on objectives that are very important for security", including the "fight against drug trafficking." Allard also referred to former CIA agent Philip Agee
Philip Burnett Franklin Agee (; January 19, 1935 – January 7, 2008)Will Weissert"Ex-CIA Agent Philip Agee Dead in Cuba" Associated Press (sfgate.com), January 9, 2008. was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer and writer of t ...
's description of US involvement with the Ecuadorian police in the early 1960s. He cited his suspicion about the visit of several United States officials to Ecuador, officially "to deepen relations," during the months prior to the coup attempt was a "pretext." Pepe Escobar of ''Asia Times
''Asia Times'' (), formerly known as ''Asia Times Online'', is a Hong Kong-based English language news media publishing group, covering politics, economics, business, and culture from an Asian perspective. ''Asia Times'' publishes in English and ...
'' also alleged that "everyone in South America" knows of US involvement, as he cited similar reaction to the Honduran coup. ''Russia Today
RT (formerly Russia Today or Rossiya Segodnya (russian: Россия Сегодня) is a Russian state-controlled international news television network funded by the Russian government. It operates pay television and free-to-air channels ...
'' alleged a link between the School of the Americas
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School of the Americas, is a United States Department of Defense school located at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, renamed in the 2001 National Defen ...
and the attempted coup.
Venezuelan-American lawyer Eva Golinger
Eva Golinger (born 19 February 1973) is a Venezuelan-American lawyer, writer and journalist. She practices law in New York and specializes in immigration and international law. She is the author of several books about the late Hugo Chávez, of ...
claimed that the coup attempt was part of a systematic, US-supported plan to destabilise member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...
(ALBA).[Pachakutik supported Gutiérrez as presidential candidate in 2002; a few months after his presidency started, however, the relationship broke up.]
She alleged that US ambassador Heather Hodges was sent to Ecuador by former US President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
"with the intention of sowing destabilization against Correa, in case the Ecuadoran president refused to subordinate himself to Washington's agenda," and that Hodges increased the budget of USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
and the NED for social and political groups that "promote US interests." Golinger claimed that certain "progressive" social groups received "financing and guidelines in order to provoke destabilising situations in the country that go beyond the natural expressions of criticism and opposition to a government." According to Golinger, USAID's 2010 budget in Ecuador $38 million. Golinger referred to the indigenous political party Pachakutik Movement's press release on 30 September asking for Correa's resignation on the grounds that his "dictatorial attitude" had generated "serious political turmoil and internal crisis." In the statement, Pachakutik leader Cléver Jiménez said that the "situation" of the police and armed forces in the coup attempt "should be understood as a just action by public servants, whose rights have been made vulnerable." Golinger alleged that Pachakutik was funded by NED and USAID and that its call for Correa's resignation and its support for the mutiny was an example of the US plans to destabilise ALBA member states. Pachakutik strongly denied having "any relationship at all with the organism known as USAID, previously NED, not today nor ever" and accused the Ecuadorian government of having accepted USAID/NED funding. Golinger responded by referring to a National Democratic Institute (NDI, one of the four institutes funded by NED) report from 2007 describing Pachakutik being trained by the NDI in "Triangle of Party Best Practices and strategic planning methodologies" as part of NDI's Latin American/Caribbean Political Party Network of over 1400 individual members, funded under NED Core Grants 2000–031, 2001–048, 2003–028, and 2004–036.
The United States government denied any involvement and deemed the accusations as unsubstantiated. The United States had already declared support for Correa through its ambassador to the Organization of American States. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, also expressed "full support for President Rafael Correa, and the institutions of democratic government in that country."[ On 5 October, Ecuadorian foreign minister ]Ricardo Patiño
Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca (born 16 May 1954) is an Ecuadorian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador from 2010 until 2016, under the government of President Rafael Correa. Previously he was Minister of Finance ...
said "I firmly believe that Mr. Obama had nothing to do with this. I hope, I trust that his main authorities also didn't". Relations between the Ecuadorian and United States governments regarding the Ecuadorian police forces had been strained since 2009 when the Ecuadorian government was unhappy about United States involvement in the appointment of Ecuadorian police officials.
Investigations
On 1 October, Coronel Cesár Carrion, Quito's metropolitan police chief; Marcelo Echeverría, the provincial police commander; and Manuel E. Rivadeneira Tello, the head of the barracks where Correa was attacked, were detained. They were released the next day but barred from leaving Ecuador pending an investigation for "negligence, rebellion and attempted assassination," according to prosecutor Gonzalo Marco Freire. Manuel E. Rivadeneira Tello, was alleged by Allard to have trained at the School of the Americas
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School of the Americas, is a United States Department of Defense school located at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, renamed in the 2001 National Defen ...
(SOA). The School of the Americas Watch School of the Americas Watch is an advocacy organization founded by former Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois and a small group of supporters in 1990 to protest the training of mainly Latin American military officers, by the United States Department of ...
lists Rivadeneira as having trained at the SOA from 25 February to 18 April 1980, in the C-8 armed combat cadet group.
On 5 October, Fidel Araujo, close collaborator of Lucio Gutiérrez, was detained for investigations about his role in the uprising, as TV has shown him among the rebellious police in Quito, in the early hours of the strike. Also, recorded dialogues between the policemen that surrounded the hospital where Rafael Correa was kept, were undisclosed. In them, the policemen announce their intentions to kill the President, or have him out of office.
Interior Minister Gustavo Jalkh
Gustavo is the Latinate form of a Germanic male given name with respective prevalence in Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish language, Spanish, and Italian language, Italian. It has been a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gu ...
announced the arrest of 46 police officers for alleged participation in the revolt. He claimed prosecutors had voice recordings that implicate them.
Aftermath
After the day's events, four people were confirmed dead, one of whom was a university student, and the others were a police officer and two military personnel involved in the rescue operation. One-hundred and ninety-three were injured, 24 of them seriously. Forty of them were personnel of the armed forces.
Reports indicated the police were back to work the next day and Guayaquil was back to normal. The chief of police, Freddy Martinez, took responsibility, and resigned following the attacks saying "A commander shown such lack of respect by his subordinates cannot stay in charge." The government said it would not purge the police force, but were looking for those responsible who would "not be pardoned." Patricio Franco, the newly appointed police chief, asked the public to "trust the police," saying the revolt was led by a group of "foolish and crazy people who acted violently". He also stressed the role of "infiltrates".
On 1 October, Correa issued a three-day national mourning period for the dead, but did not revoke the five-day state of emergency as the country gradually returned to normality.
Foreign minister Ricardo Patiño
Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca (born 16 May 1954) is an Ecuadorian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador from 2010 until 2016, under the government of President Rafael Correa. Previously he was Minister of Finance ...
, warned that the situation might not be over yet. "We cannot claim total victory. We have overcome the situation for now, but we cannot relax. The coup attempt may have roots out there, we have to find them and pull them up." Correa told UNASUR foreign ministers that "they wanted to provoke a civil war."
The media also speculated that the crisis could mean a popularity boost for Correa, who had lost some support in recent months. It also cited Correa's mixed relationship with the armed forces since taking office, and this crisis could force a more "delicate line" working with the military. Previously he won over military chiefs using increases in salary hikes and appointments to what were considered "cushy state jobs." If the police protests blow over, Correa will likely be forced to negotiate to keep the ranks calm. However, the international media also cited Correa's popularatiy among the poor for his spending oil largesse on welfare programmes and a firm stance against foreign investors. He may now be forced to boost public spending and seek alternative sources of credit after Ecuador's 2008 default on about $3 billion in debt. Additionally, foreign oil companies in Ecuador have until November to sign new contracts that would boost state control on the oil industry.
On 2 October, Correa's government and his parliamentary block announced an agreement to modify some aspects of the ''Public Service Organic Law'', that worried the police and the Armed Forces. On 5 October, the government decreed a salary increase for the police and the armed forces. Defence Minister Javier Ponce said that the adjustment was programmed since before the crisis. The Emergency rule
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
was extended into the week following the raid, to allow the transfer of protection of the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
. to the military.
Reactions
Domestic
Citizens supporting Correa amassed in front of their provincial governments in a show of support.
On 30 September, the opposition Pachakutik Movement published a press release asking for Correa to resign or be dismissed by the National Assembly under Article 130, Number 2 of the 2008 Constitution, on the grounds that his "dictatorial attitude" had generated "serious political turmoil and internal crisis." Pachakutik leader Cléver Jiménez said that he "backed the struggle of the country's public servants, including the police troops who have mobilized against the regime's authoritarian policies which are an attempt to eliminate acquired labor rights. The situation of the police and members of the Armed Forces should be understood as a just action by public servants, whose rights have been made vulnerable."
On 6 October, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and Pachakutik together issued a declaration stating "there never was any attempted coup d'etat, much less a kidnapping, but an event that responded to the uncertain political management of the government that causes popular discontent through permanent aggression, discrimination and violations of human rights consecrated in the Constitution." CONAIE and Pachakutik demanded "the constitutional suspension of the National Congress for its failure to comply with the constitutional mandate that it legislate much less audit as it is well known that all laws are approved by the president's legal minister." They "condemned the usurpation of press freedom when on 30 September all media not allied with the government was forced to broadcast government news in 'cadena nacional,' a means by which all access to information is controlled and manipulated with a version of the facts that does not inform about the real dimensions of the situation on that day in the country."
Supranational bodies
Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
Ban Ki-moon expressed concern.
The Organization of American States Permanent Council unanimously approved by acclamation a resolution supporting Correa's government and asked all the stakeholders to avoid "exacerbating" the political instability. Ecuadorian ambassador María Isabel Salvador said that the events "cannot, in any way, be considered as simple union acts or public protests." She also said Correa was in touch with his ministers.
The European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
's Foreign Policy chief called for law and order to be respected.
;UNASUR
The Secretary General of UNASUR
The Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations is the legal representative of the Secretariat of the Union of South American Nations (USAN).
History
The position was established by the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty and the first Secret ...
, Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...
, said "South America cannot tolerate that corporative interests threaten and put pressure on democratically elected governments for fear of losing undue privileges". An emergency summit was held on the same night of the events, 30 September, in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Argentina, attended by UNASUR member state Presidents Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to c ...
, Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022.
The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
, José Mujica
José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and im ...
, Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
An economist by profession and a journalist by trade ...
, Hugo Chávez, Alan García
Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apris ...
, and host (in the absence of the President Pro-Tempore Correa) Cristina Kirchner
Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess
*Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American s ...
,[ along with representatives of ]Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, Guyana and Suriname. There were two notable absentees: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party ...
did not attend because of the impending Brazilian general elections; and Fernando Lugo
Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Diocese ...
was absent because he was undertaking chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
.
A statement was issued condemning the coup attempt, reaffirming the regional compromise with democratic institutions, peace, rule of law, constitutional order and human rights as means to regional integration, and announcing the adoption of a Democratic Clause as an additional protocol to the Unasur Constitutive Treaty
The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty, officially the Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations, was signed on May 23, 2008 during the extraordinary summit of heads of state and government of the Union of South American Nations (UNASU ...
at the next Head of State summit in Guyana, on 26 November.
It was established that, in the event of further attempts, immediate and concrete steps would be taken, such as the closure of borders, suspension of commerce, air traffic, energy, services, and other supplies. It was also decided that the Foreign Ministers of the South American countries travel to Quito on 1 October morning.
International
Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez condemned the coup attempt, and stated that he and other South American leaders were "mobilizing to reject the coup".
Chilean president Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022.
The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
also declared "absolute and total support for President Correa", and called for all democratic countries in South America to support Ecuadorian democracy. The Chilean ambassador to Ecuador, later claimed that the events had "definitely not been a coup d'état".
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Bolivia, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Colombia, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
and Spain also expressed full support for Correa's government.
Argentina's Foreign Affairs Minister, Héctor Timerman
Héctor Marcos Timerman (16 December 1953 – 30 December 2018) was an Argentine journalist, politician, human rights activist and diplomat. He served as his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2015, during the presidency of Cristi ...
, said "Latin American democracies will not allow a repeat in Ecuador of the coup in Honduras." Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (; born 5 October 1941) is an Argentine Peronist politician who served as the interim President of Argentina from January 2002 to May 2003. He also served as Vice President and Governor of Buenos Aires in the 1990s.
B ...
called the events a "coup d'etat."
The ruling government in Honduras also expressed its support for Ecuador. The ruling Honduran government is not recognized by Ecuador on the grounds of the coup in Honduras in 2009 against Manuel Zelaya. It condemned "any action that violates the constitutional order" in Ecuador. "Honduras, its people and its government expresses its unqualified support for the democratic institutions of the Republic of Ecuador and advocate return to civic normality," said the Honduran Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Support from Honduras, observed CNN, "came a little over a year after a military-led coup toppled the democratically elected president there."
Colombia said it had shut its border with Ecuador in solidarity with Correa.
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
shut its border with Ecuador due to unrest, with President Alan García
Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apris ...
saying it would not reopen "until Democratic authority is restored."
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
's ambassador in Ecuador, Majid Salehi, said he was monitoring the situation and that it "fully supported Correa's legal government throughout the incident." He also added that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
Manouchehr Mottaki ( fa, منوچهر متکی; born 12 May 1953) is an Iranian politician and diplomat. He was the Iranian minister of foreign affairs. Whilst technically appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he is considered to be closer to more pr ...
talked to Correa later. In the conversation, Correa stressed that ties between the two states were strong and "certain countries were seeking to damage Iran-Ecuador relations" but emphasised a will to further strengthen ties after saying "Ecuador would not allow any country to interfere in its foreign relations." Ahmadinejad, in turn, welcomed their growing ties saying "Iran and Ecuador enjoy deep, brotherly relations."
The United States declared support for Correa through its ambassador to the Organization of American States. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
expressed "full support for President Rafael Correa, and the institutions of democratic government in that country."[ On 5 October, Ecuadorian foreign minister ]Ricardo Patiño
Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca (born 16 May 1954) is an Ecuadorian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador from 2010 until 2016, under the government of President Rafael Correa. Previously he was Minister of Finance ...
said "I firmly believe that Mr. Obama had nothing to do with this. I hope, and trust that neither his (immediate subordinates) did.
Academic analysis
On 4 October, New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
professor of history Greg Grandin
Greg Grandin (born 1962) is a professor of history at Yale University. He previously taught at New York University. He is author of a number of books, including ''Fordlândia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City'', which was ...
stated that "it's still early to tell exactly what happened" and in his initial analysis said, "the government has made a lot of, I think, accurate accusations that it was not just a spontaneous social protest against austerity. It was too coordinated. It happened simultaneously in a number of cities, a number of barracks. Sectors of the air force joined in immediately. It seems like there have been sectors that have been dissatisfied with Correa within the military. And certainly, a past president, Lucio Gutiérrez, ... immediately came out and called Correa illegitimate and called for him to step down."
Asylum in Czech Republic
On Monday 2 July 2012, Czech Republic gave political asylum to lawyer Pablo Guerrero Martinez, who, with more than 111 people, was accused of sabotage and terrorism by the facts raised in the public channel Ecuador TV on Thursday 30 September 2010. He became well-known together with other 12 persons prosecuted by the government with the name of Los Trece
Pablo Guerrero Martinez, lawyer, journalist, activist and defender of freedom of expression in his country, was a candidate for Concentración de Fuerzas Populares in the presidential election of 2009.
The Czech government textually said that:
"Criminal proceedings that his country is continuing against the applicant and twelve others have all the elements of a political process, and the penalty he could receive is unrelated to the seriousness of the fault".
See also
* 2000 Ecuadorean coup d'état
* 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt
A failed coup d'état on 11 April 2002 saw the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, ousted from office for 47 hours before being restored to power. Chávez was aided in his return to power by popular support and mobilization against the coup b ...
* 2004 Haitian coup d'état
A coup d'état in Haiti on 29 February 2004, following several weeks of conflict, resulted in the removal of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. On 5 February 2004, a rebel group, called the National Revolutionary Front for the Lib ...
* 2009 Honduran coup d'état
References
External links
''Public Service Organic Law''
–
Hoy- Chronology of the events
Ecuador Declares State of Emergency
– video report by ''Democracy Now!
''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Ecuador crisis
Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
Ecuador crisis
Ecuador crisis
Military history of Ecuador
Political history of Ecuador
September 2010 events in South America