Lucio Gutiérrez
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Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born 23 March 1957 in
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
) served as 43rd
President of Ecuador The president of Ecuador ( es, Presidente del Ecuador), officially called the Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador ( es, Presidente Constitucional de la República del Ecuador), serves as both the head of state and head of govern ...
from 15 January 2003 to 20 April 2005.


Early life

Lucio Gutierrez, in full Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbua, (born 23 March 1957, Quito, Ecuador), Ecuadoran army colonel and politician who served as president of Ecuador (2003–05). Gutiérrez was raised in Tena, an Amazon basin town. He was the son of a traveling salesman and attended primary and secondary school in Tena before transferring at age 15 to a military college in Quito. Gutiérrez graduated from the Army Polytechnic School as a civil engineer after having won honor's for academic and athletic prowess. He later studied in Brazil and the United States. Gutiérrez rose steadily through the army ranks and in 1990–92 served with the United Nations observer mission to Nicaragua. As a young man, he demonstrated little interest in politics, but during the 1990s he sympathized with fellow Ecuadorans as they became increasingly disenchanted with corruption and poverty. In 1997, as aide-de-camp to Pres. Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz, he refused an order to use force against a crowd outside the presidential palace. Bucaram fled the palace and was later removed from office by the National Congress. In 1999 Gutiérrez repeatedly questioned the government's conduct and pointedly refused to shake Pres. Jamil Mahuad Witt's hand during a public ceremony in December.


Military career

Gutierrez was born on 23 March 1957, in the city of Quito. Although holding degrees in civil engineering, administration and physical education, he chose a career with the Ecuadorian army, where he rose to the rank of colonel before his involvement in a coup against the government. In January 2000, thousands of Ecuadorians of Andean Indian descent massed in the capital of Quito to protest corruption in the government and economic policy. Ordered to break up demonstrations, Gutierrez instead helped feed the protesters, allowed them to occupy the country's congress building, and joined Indian leader Antonio Vargas and a judge, Carlos Solorzano in "announcing a government of national salvation." The coup did not last long and the old government returned to power, but with a new president to replace the discredited predecessor. Gutierrez and other supporters of the coup were imprisoned for six months and expelled from the army. As with many other military men who have entered politics in Latin American countries, Gutiérrez's first experiences in a public forum date back to a period of political and social unrest. Indigenous and poor Ecuadorans staged massive protests when the Jamil Mahuad government decided to adopt the U.S. dollar as the national currency in 2000. Gutiérrez disobeyed the government's order to repress the protestors and instead, together with fellow officers and their troops, joined the movement to depose president Mahuad. Days later, the Ecuadoran Congress deposed the president and the vice-president took the presidential chair


Political rise

Gutiérrez entered the national spotlight during the 2000 Ecuadorian coup d'état that unseated President
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 ...
for three hours and forced him to abandon office after demonstrations in
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
by thousands of Indigenous Ecuadorians protested the Mahuad government's support of
neoliberal Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...
economic policies, particularly the proposed dollarization plans. Instead of ordering to disperse the protesters, then Col. Gutiérrez and the army stood aside and let them take over 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 ...
. Under pressure from the
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, and lacking support from the indigenous movement, the Junta was dissolved by General Carlos Mendoza and the Congress named then Vice President
Gustavo Noboa Gustavo José Joaquín Noboa Bejarano (21 August 1937 – 16 February 2021) was an Ecuadorian politician. He served as the 42nd president of Ecuador from 22 January 2000 to 15 January 2003. Previously he served as the vice president during Jamil ...
as president of the country. The armed forces jailed Gutiérrez for six months, but he was discharged, and faced no criminal prosecution despite the fact he was a direct participant. Prior to the 2000 coup, Gutiérrez was aide-de-camp to former presidents
Abdalá Bucaram Abdalá Jaime Bucaram Ortiz ( ; ; born 20 February 1952) is an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who was President of Ecuador from 10 August 1996, to 6 February 1997. As President, Abdalá Bucaram was nicknamed "El Loco Que Ama" ("The Madman Wh ...
and Fabián Alarcón. He claimed that, during the demonstrations that unseated Bucaram in February 1997, he also disobeyed orders to protect
Carondelet Palace Carondelet Palace ( es, Palacio de Carondelet) is the seat of government of the Republic of Ecuador, located in Quito. Access is by the public space known as Independence Square or Plaza Grande (colloquial name), around which are also the Arch ...
, leaving Bucaram no other choice but to leave.


Presidency (2003–2005)

Gutiérrez ran for President in 2002 as the candidate of the
January 21 Patriotic Society Party The Patriotic Society Party ( es, Partido Sociedad Patriótica, PSP), formerly the January 21 Patriotic Society ( es, Sociedad Patriótica 21 de Enero) is a populist and personalist political party in Ecuador, led by former army colonel Lucio Gu ...
(PSP), named for the date of the 2000 protest, and the Pachakutik Movement, on a platform of fighting
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
and reversing neoliberal economic reforms. He defeated banana
magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
and wealthiest man in Ecuador,
Álvaro Noboa Álvaro Fernando Noboa Pontón (born November 21, 1950) is an Ecuadorian businessman and politician. Noboa has been actively involved in politics, unsuccessfully running for the office of President of Ecuador in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2009 and 2013 ...
, in the second round with 55% of the popular vote, through a partnership with the
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
and indigenous movement parties,
Democratic People's Movement The Democratic People's Movement ( es, link=no, Movimiento Popular Democrático, MPD) was the electoral wing of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador (affiliated with the ICMLPO-U&S) and a political party in Ecuador since 1978. At th ...
(Movimiento Popular Democratico/MPD) and Pachacutik, respectively. Gutiérrez alienated many of his supporters by supporting the
Free Trade Area of the Americas The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all countries in the Americas, excluding Cuba. Negotiations to establish the FTAA ended in failure, however, with all parties unab ...
(FTAA) and by keeping the status-quo on economic issues. After three months of government, Gutiérrez broke his alliance with leftist parties and reached an agreement with the Social Christian Party (Partido Social Cristiano/PSC), continuing the economic policies of its predecessors and increasing bonds with the United States. The government received increased frequent accusations of corruption and
nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
. After two years, Gutiérrez broke the agreement with the PSC, further weakening the government politically. In November 2004 his former left-wing supporters joined with the conservative PSC in launching an effort to
impeach Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In E ...
him on various charges. Gutiérrez was accused of
embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...
by the PSC for using funds, resources and public property in favor of PSP candidates in the elections of 2004, and by the
Democratic Left (Ecuador) The Democratic Left (Spanish: ''Izquierda Democrática'', ID) is a social-democratic political party in Ecuador. It is a former member of the Socialist International. At the legislative elections, held on 20 October 2002, the party won at least 1 ...
(Izquierda Democrática/ID), MPD and Pachakutik for jeopardizing the security of the state for literally inciting the people to burn the courts. Impeachment proceedings collapsed when two legislators broke party lines, and a majority (51) votes could not be reached to continue the proceedings. In December 2004, Gutiérrez alleged that the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
of Justice was biased in favor of the PSC. His political party, PSP, together with the
Institutional Renewal Party of National Action The Institutional Renewal Party of National Action ( es, Partido Renovador Institucional de Acción Nacional, PRIAN) was a centre-right, populist political Party in Ecuador. At the legislative elections on 20 October 2002, the Party won 10 ou ...
(Partido Renovador Institucional de Acción Nacional/PRIAN) of
Álvaro Noboa Álvaro Fernando Noboa Pontón (born November 21, 1950) is an Ecuadorian businessman and politician. Noboa has been actively involved in politics, unsuccessfully running for the office of President of Ecuador in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2009 and 2013 ...
, the
Ecuadorian Roldosist Party The Ecuadorian Roldosist Party (PRE) (''Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano'') was a populist political party in Ecuador. The party was named after former President Jaime Roldós. It was founded after Roldós' death by his brother-in-law Abdalá Bucar ...
(Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano/PRE) of
Abdalá Bucaram Abdalá Jaime Bucaram Ortiz ( ; ; born 20 February 1952) is an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who was President of Ecuador from 10 August 1996, to 6 February 1997. As President, Abdalá Bucaram was nicknamed "El Loco Que Ama" ("The Madman Wh ...
, independents, and MPD, voted in the Congress for the reorganization of the Supreme Court of Justice via majority resolution. His adversaries sustained that the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
gives autonomy to the judicial branch and does not authorize Congress to interfere in the judiciary by removing or nominating judges. Judges were replaced by allies to PRE, PRIAN and PSP political parties with the clear intention of dropping criminal charges against former president
Abdalá Bucaram Abdalá Jaime Bucaram Ortiz ( ; ; born 20 February 1952) is an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who was President of Ecuador from 10 August 1996, to 6 February 1997. As President, Abdalá Bucaram was nicknamed "El Loco Que Ama" ("The Madman Wh ...
, accused of several acts of corruption during his presidency which led to his exile in Panama from 1997 until April 2005.


Crisis

On 15 April 2005, amid a growing political crisis and protests in the city of Quito against the Government, President Gutiérrez declared a state of emergency in
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
and revoked the newly appointed Supreme Court of Justice. This was a controversial move that provoked conflicting reactions and was seen by analysts as a dictatorial act. The state of emergency was lifted on 16 April, as the State of Emergency was disobeyed by citizens and General Aguas of the army, who refused to enforce it, and Ecuador's Congress was expected to hold a session in order to decide whether to ratify the Supreme Court's dismissal. On 20 April 2005, following a week of massive demonstrations, the
Congress of Ecuador The National Congress (Spanish: ''Congreso Nacional)'' was the unicameral legislative branch of the government of Ecuador prior to November 2007. Under the 1998 Constitution, Congress met in Quito and was made up of 100 deputies ''(diputados).'' ...
(meeting in a special session in a private building, CIESPAL, with opposition delegates only), on the grounds that Gutiérrez had abandoned his constitutional duties, voted 60–2 (38 members, including the great majority of PRE/PRIAN/PSP deputies, did not vote) to remove Gutiérrez from office and appointed
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
Alfedo Palacio González to serve as President. At the same time, the Ecuadorian Joint Armed Forces Command (Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas) publicly expressed that they were withdrawing their support for Gutiérrez, who had no option but to leave the Presidential Palace on a helicopter. He sought
political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...
in the house of the
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 ...
ian
Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
in the north of
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
, after his attempt to leave the city aboard a plane at
Quito 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 ...
was thwarted by hundreds of angry protesters that breached airport security and blocked the airstrip.


Approval rating

Gutierrez began his presidency with an approval rating of 64%. Gutierrez left office with a 32% approval rating, according to a CEDATOS survey.


Post-Presidency

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 ...
offered Gutiérrez asylum and arranged air transport out of Ecuador for the former president. He arrived via Rio Branco on 24 April 2005. He renounced his asylum, then went to
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
and the United States. In September he was reported to be seeking political asylum in
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. This was offered on 4 October only to be refused by Gutiérrez on 13 October. Then on 15 October he voluntarily returned to Ecuador vowing to "use all legal and constitutional means to retake power." He was arrested at the
Eloy Alfaro International Airport Eloy Alfaro International Airport is a combination civilian airport and military air base on the Pacific coast near Manta, a city in the Manabí Province of Ecuador. The airport, also known as Eloy Alfaro Air Base, is named in honor of Eloy Alfar ...
in
Manta Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Br ...
, after arriving in a chartered
SARPA SARPA S.A.S. (''Servicios Aéreos Panamericanos S.A.S.'') is an air charter and air ambulance operator, with its main base at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, and an auxiliary base in Medellín. History The airline was founded in Ju ...
plane with his brother, Gilmar Gutiérrez, his companion-in-arms Fausto Cobo, and some collaborators. He was taken to a prison in Quito and locked in a
maximum security Maximum Security may refer to: * Supermax, "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons * Maximum Security (comics), a comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics * ''Maximum Security'' (Tony MacAlpine album), 1987 * ''Maximum Security'' ...
cell on charges of attempting to subvert Ecuador's internal security by repeatedly proclaiming to the international media that he continued to be the legitimate President of the Republic of Ecuador. On 3 March 2006, a judge in Ecuador dismissed the charges against Gutiérrez. A very notorious political agreement ensued between Gutiérrez and the PSC. Gutiérrez and the deputies of PSP sided with the PSC in order to gain a majority for controlling the country's Constitutional Court. Upon his release, Gutiérrez thanked the
Ecuadorian people Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collect ...
for their support and vowed that he would participate and win the presidential election in October. On 15 October 2006, his PSP, led by Gilmar Gutiérrez, got the third place in the national election with 17% of the total votes, with the support of the economically disadvantaged, landless farmers and indigenous population. In the 2009 Presidential Election, Lucio Gutiérrez ran for
president of Ecuador The president of Ecuador ( es, Presidente del Ecuador), officially called the Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador ( es, Presidente Constitucional de la República del Ecuador), serves as both the head of state and head of govern ...
under the flag of PSP. In the presidential election held on 26 April, he came in second with 26.8% of the vote, losing to
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 ...
. Lucio Gutiérrez declared
election fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
even though all the polls conducted well before election day gave a great advantage to Rafael Correa, and even when international observers from 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 des ...
declared total transparency of the election process.


Post-Election

Almost all supporters of Lucio Gutiérrez are in the
Amazon region The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
where he was born. This relationship has been used by his political party to gain the support of inhabitants of these isolated areas. Gutiérrez has said he will form a parallel cabinet to that of President Rafael Correa so that if the "people give him the opportunity, he will have an experienced cabinet."


Attempted coup

He is alleged to have instigated the 2010 police revolt against Correa. He has fervently denied the allegations claiming that he was in
Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
attending an event at the
Inter-American Defense College The Inter-American Defense College (IADC) is the educational entity of the Inter-American Defense Board, an independent entity of the Organization of American States. The College states that faculty, staff and student body are international, and ...
(of which he is an alumnus), then traveled to
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
to attend a conference on the
Socialism of the 21st century Socialism of the 21st century ( es, Socialismo del siglo XXI; pt, Socialismo do século XXI; german: Sozialismus des 21. Jahrhunderts) is an interpretation of socialist principles first advocated by German sociologist and political analyst ...
and finally to serve as an observer in the Brazilian presidential poll. He has further stated that the whole event was fabricated. A special commission formed by Correa in 2013 to investigate the events has claimed that he and his party plotted, along with the fugitive Isaias brothers (former owners of Filanbanco who reside in Miami after fleeing during the 1998–2000 banking crisis), former chief of intelligence Mario Pazmiño (accused by Correa of working with the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
and of being involved in the Colombian attack against Ecuadorian territory in 2008 which killed
FARC The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflic ...
leader
Raúl Reyes Luis Edgar Devia Silva (30 September 1948 – 1 March 2008), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Raúl Reyes, was a leader, Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–Pe ...
and sparked a regional crisis) as well as others.


References


External links


Official website

Biography by CIDOB Foundation

Presidencia de la República

Seeking asylum in Colombia

Arrest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutierrez, Lucio 1957 births Living people People from Quito Patriotic Society Party politicians Presidents of Ecuador