Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country
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The Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country ( es, Movimiento de Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik – Nuevo País) is a
left wing 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 ...
indigenist Indigenism can refer to several different ideologies that seek to promote the interests of indigenous peoples. The term is used differently by various scholars and activists, and can be used purely descriptively or carry political connotations. D ...
party in
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
. It was founded primarily as a way to advance the interests of a wide variety of
indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
' organizations throughout Ecuador.


History

In the context of Ecuador's indigenous movement, Pachakutik emerged in 1995 after civil society mobilizations by large indigenous organizations such as
CONAIE The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador ( es, Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador) or, more commonly, CONAIE, is Ecuador's largest indigenous rights organization. The Ecuadorian Indian movement under the le ...
and CONFENAIE. These movements had previously espoused an abstentionist position in relation to electoral politics, but came together to form Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales (Social Movement Cooperation, CMS) and then Pachakutik to serve as an alternative to the traditional cluster of political parties that had ruled Ecuadorian politics. However, the party is not formally affiliated with CONAIE. Pachakutik is a term taken from the
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
“pacha”, time and space or the world, and “kuti”, upheaval or revolution. Its aim is not just to win elections but to initiate a democratic transformation of Ecuadorian society, centring on the neglected needs of the indigenous. In 1996, its electoral strategy was to concentrate on areas where CONAIE or CMS were strong, but it was able to recruit TV personality
Freddy Ehlers Freddy Ehlers Zurita (born 30 November 1945) is an Ecuadorian politician. As of June 2013, he is Ecuador's State Secretary for the Presidential Initiative for the Construction of a Society of Good Life. Previously, he was Ministry of Tourism (Ec ...
and CONAIE leader
Luis Macas Luis Macas Ambuludí (born 1951) is a Kichwa politician and intellectual from Saraguro Ecuador. Macas has honorary university degrees in anthropology, linguistics and jurisprudence. He was one of the founders of the CONAIE and of the Pachakutik ...
to its list, adding to its national prominence. The party has been a topic of controversy among
indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
throughout Ecuador because of its nature as a political party. According to American-Venezuelan 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 ...
, during the 2010 Ecuador coup d'état attempt, Pachakutik stated that President
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 ...
was authoritarian and issued a press release opposing him and supporting police and army rebels. Golinger accused Pachakutik of having accepted funding from
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 NED, and playing a role as part of a
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
plan to destabilise Latin American democracies in 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 Kingdom ...
(ALBA). Pachakutik denied "having any relationship at all with the organism known as USAID, previously NED, not today nor ever". Golinger responded by referring to a
National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...
(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.


Political position

The party's core commitments are to
environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...
,
social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
and
indigenous rights Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the Indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the rights over their land (includ ...
to recognition and land. One of the most determined adversaries of the Correa government is Marlon Santi (of the Amazonian
Sarayaku Sarayaku (Quechuan: "The River of Corn"; also transcribed Sarayacu) is a territory and a village situated by the Bobonaza River in the province of Pastaza in the southern part of ''el Oriente,'' the Amazonic region of Ecuador. The territory inc ...
people, president of CONAIE (2008-2011) and national coordinator of Pachakutik since 2016) described this eco-socialist position:
The development proposed by the national government is an aggressive development that fails to view Mother Earth as a space of life, or a space that generates life … We promote an alternative and progressive development that respects the rights of the environment, of human beings and of nature. The government, or the economic power, does not understand the model of life that the indigenous movement has launched regarding our spaces of life where also the majority of natural wealth is to be found, such as water, oil and minerals.
According to left-wing Ecuadorian scholar Pablo Ospina Peralta, it is "a social movement that is diverse, popular, and multicultural. It has been forged in social mobilization, community resistance, and the chaotic and disorganized work of grassroots organizing."


The Rights of Nature: Sumak Kawsay

After lobbying by the four Pachakutik members of the
Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly The Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly was a 2007–2008 constitutional assembly in Ecuador, which drafted the 2008 Constitution of Ecuador, approved via the Ecuadorian constitutional referendum, 2008. On 30 September 2007 an election for a constit ...
, the 2008 Ecuadorian Constitution enshrined the
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
concept of ''Sumac Kawsay'' ('' buen vivir'' in
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, meaning "good living", signifying the rights of nature).


Electoral history

Pachakutik participated in the presidential elections of 1996 despite having only been formed a few months beforehand. In order to give a strong media boost to the party in their first presidential election, they recruited a former TV personality named
Freddy Ehlers Freddy Ehlers Zurita (born 30 November 1945) is an Ecuadorian politician. As of June 2013, he is Ecuador's State Secretary for the Presidential Initiative for the Construction of a Society of Good Life. Previously, he was Ministry of Tourism (Ec ...
to represent the party on the highest national stage. Although Ehlers failed to win the election, he placed third with nearly twenty percent of the popular vote despite having less than five months to prepare his campaign. In addition, eight members of Pachakutik won seats as national deputies, including CONAIE president
Luis Macas Luis Macas Ambuludí (born 1951) is a Kichwa politician and intellectual from Saraguro Ecuador. Macas has honorary university degrees in anthropology, linguistics and jurisprudence. He was one of the founders of the CONAIE and of the Pachakutik ...
, and although they constituted less than ten percent of the seats in the
National Congress of Ecuador National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
, the presence of the party was undeniable. For the first time indigenous citizens of Ecuador were present in Congress, representing the interests of all groups throughout the country. Pachakutik, along with a strong
civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.1998 elections in which Pachakutik's amount of representation declined, the party has never quite reached its prior levels of support and has been unable to topple the majority of the Congress that does not share their views. It has been criticized by CONAIE for its ineffectiveness, leading to a ''coup d'état'' in 2000 organized by CONAIE in association with sympathetic members of the military. Although after only hours of taking the capital and instituting a three-man
junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...
including CONAIE president
Antonio Vargas Carlos Antonio Vargas Guatatuca (born 1 December 1958 in Unión Base, Puyo) is an indigenous Quechua politician of Ecuador. He was leader of the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de Ecuador (CONAIE) and Minister for Social Welfare un ...
the government dissipated, echoing CONAIE's frustration. Pachakutik has since distanced itself somewhat from CONAIE while still remaining intensely involved with gaining indigenous rights. At the 2002 legislative elections, the party won at least 11 out of 100 seats. Its candidate
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), ...
, member of the
Patriotic Society Party 21 January 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 ...
won 20.3% of the vote in the presidential elections of the same day and won the second round with 58.7%. After three months of government Gutierrez broke up its alliance with Pachakutik and he discharged its ministers. The party soon grew to despise him and publicly criticize him. In 2003 they even began to call for the removal of President Gutiérrez publicly in the media. However, with Gutierrez out, the return of
Luis Macas Luis Macas Ambuludí (born 1951) is a Kichwa politician and intellectual from Saraguro Ecuador. Macas has honorary university degrees in anthropology, linguistics and jurisprudence. He was one of the founders of the CONAIE and of the Pachakutik ...
to the presidency of CONAIE and the opposition to the signature of an agreement of free trade with United States, they have been able to reunify to the movement.{ At the 2006 elections, the party won at least 6 out of 100 seats. Its candidate
Luis Macas Luis Macas Ambuludí (born 1951) is a Kichwa politician and intellectual from Saraguro Ecuador. Macas has honorary university degrees in anthropology, linguistics and jurisprudence. He was one of the founders of the CONAIE and of the Pachakutik ...
, obtained 2.19% of the vote in the presidential elections of the same day. At the
2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
, the party had its worst results since its founding, but still maintains representation, with 4 seats out of 124 in National Assembly. At the 2013 elections, the party won at least 5 out of 137 seats. Its candidate Alberto Acosta, obtained 3.26% of the vote in the presidential elections of the same day. The party made significant electoral gains in
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, winning 27 seats in the National Assembly. The good performance was partly owed due to their prominent role in the 2019 Ecuadorian protests. 2021 represented a breakthrough beyond indigenous voters, as it "struck a chord with young and disenchanted voters who responded to its call for greater protection of the environment and focus on gender issues."


Electoral results


Presidential elections

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1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
,
Freddy Ehlers Freddy Ehlers Zurita (born 30 November 1945) is an Ecuadorian politician. As of June 2013, he is Ecuador's State Secretary for the Presidential Initiative for the Construction of a Society of Good Life. Previously, he was Ministry of Tourism (Ec ...
, Rosana Vinueza , valign="top" align="right" , 785,124 , valign="top" align="right" , , , , 3rd , , - , - , 2002 ,
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), ...
,
Alfredo Palacio Luis Alfredo Palacio González (born 22 January 1939) is an Ecuadorian cardiologist and former politician who served as President of Ecuador from 20 April 2005 to 15 January 2007. From 15 January 2003 to 20 April 2005, he served as vice presid ...
, 943,123 , valign="top" align="right" , , 2,803,243 , valign="top" align="right" , , align="center" style="color:white; background:#DCDCDC, Elected , Coalition with PSP , - ,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
Luis Macas Luis Macas Ambuludí (born 1951) is a Kichwa politician and intellectual from Saraguro Ecuador. Macas has honorary university degrees in anthropology, linguistics and jurisprudence. He was one of the founders of the CONAIE and of the Pachakutik ...
, César Sacoto , valign="top" align="right" , 119,577 , valign="top" align="right" , , , , 6th , , - ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, Alberto Acosta , Marcia Caicedo , valign="top" align="right" , 280,539 , valign="top" align="right" , , , , 6th , Parte de la
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,
Paco Moncayo Paco Rosendo Moncayo Gallegos (born October 8, 1940, in Quito) is an Ecuadorian politician and retired general who was Metropolitan Mayor of Quito from 2000 to 2009. Career During his military career, he was the Commander in Chief of the Army i ...
, Monserratt Bustamante , valign="top" align="right" , 634,030 , valign="top" align="right" , , , , 4th , Parte del
ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
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Yaku Pérez Yaku may refer to: * Yakushima, Japan (屋久島), which could be referred to as Yaku Island * Yaku, Kagoshima, Japan (屋久町), a town on the island of Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture *Yaku, Nepal *A specific combination of tiles or cards that ...
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Legislative elections

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !Election !Votes !Votes % !Seats !+/– , - , 1996 , 718,983 , 20.4 , , , - , 2002 , 325,365 , 9.2 , , 14 , - ,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, – , – , , 6 , - ,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, – , – , , 5 , - ,
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, 948,638 , 1.5 , , 2 , - , rowspan="2" ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, 4,149,243 , 4.73 , , 1 , - , colspan="4" , As a part of the alliance
Plurinational Unity of the Lefts Plurinational Unity of the Lefts (''Unidad Plurinacional de las Izquierdas'') is a left-wing political coalition in Ecuador, created in 2011. History In 2009, Pachakutik and the Democratic People's Movement (MPD) broke with the ruling PAIS Alli ...
, - ,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, 2,740,043 , 2.67 , , 1 , - ,
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, 1,348,595 , 16.81 , , 23


See also

*
Pachakuti Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui ( qu, Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki) was the ninth Sapa Inca (1418–1471/1472) of the Kingdom of Cusco which he transformed into the Inca Empire ( qu, Tawantinsuyu). Most archaeologists now believe that the famous Inca si ...
*
Pachakuti Indigenous Movement The Pachakuti Indigenous Movement (Spanish: ''Movimiento Indígena Pachakuti'') was an indigenist political party in Bolivia founded in November 2000. At the legislative elections in 2002, the party won 2.2% of the popular vote and 6 out of 130 ...
(Bolivian indigenist party)


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links


Official web siteLuis Macas Home PageCONAIE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country 1996 establishments in Ecuador Indigenist political parties in South America Indigenous organisations in Ecuador Political parties established in 1996 Plurinational Unity of the Lefts Socialist parties in Ecuador