(Angus Reid Global Monitor) Dec 4, 2007 - Many people in Ecuador are skeptical on the effect a new national Constitution will have on their country, according to a poll by Cedatos/Gallup. 44 per cent of respondents think the country’s situation will remain the same after a new charter is written and implemented.
An additional 33 per cent of respondents think the country will be better off with a new Constitution, while 19 per cent expect Ecuador’s situation to worsen.
Rafael Correa, a former finance minister, ran for president as an independent leftist under the Alliance Country (AP) banner. In November 2006, Correa defeated Álvaro Noboa of the conservative Institutional Renewal Party of National Action (PRIAN) in a run-off with 56.69 per cent of the vote. He officially took over as Ecuador’s head of state in January and vowed to change the country’s Constitution. Correa’s party nominated no candidates to the National Congress.
In April, Ecuadorian citizens participated in a referendum to enact a Constituent Assembly. The president’s proposal was backed by 82 per cent of all voters. An election to choose the assembly’s 130 members took place on Sept. 30. Correa’s supporters—running under the Movement Country (MP) banner—secured 69 per cent of the vote and 80 seats, enough to enact changes without seeking compromises with political opponents.
On Nov. 28, Correa warned assembly members to take their duty seriously, saying, "It is now or never. If we don’t manage to change the country radically in a peaceful manner, next time people will want to change it with violence because they will be fed up."
On Nov. 29, Ecuador’s Constituent Assembly officially began its work, and suspended the National Congress. The ad-hoc legislative body has six months to finish a draft. The proposed Constitution must be ratified in a nationwide referendum. The Constituent Assembly is expected to discuss a wide variety of topics, including the possibility of consecutive presidential re-election, as well as new oil and mining regulations.
Polling Data
Do you think Ecuador will be better off, worse off, or stay the same with the new constitution?
| Better off | 33% |
| Worse off | 19% |
| Stay the same | 44% |
| No opinion | 4% |
Source: Cedatos/Gallup
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,286 Ecuadorian adults in 10 cities, conducted from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22, 2007. Margin of error is 5 per cent.
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