(Angus Reid Global Monitor) Sept 21, 2008 - The vast majority of people in two Ecuadorian cities support Rafael Correa, according to a poll by Perfiles de Opinión. 73.9 per cent of respondents in Quito and Guayaquil believe the president’s performance has been good or very good so far.
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 2007, and vowed to change the country’s Constitution. Correa’s party nominated no candidates to the National Congress.
In April 2007, Ecuadorian citizens participated in a referendum to enact a Constituent Assembly. The president’s proposal was backed by 82 per cent of all voters. In September, Correa’s supporters—running under the Movement Country (MP) banner—secured 80 seats in the 130-member Constituent Assembly, enough to enact changes without seeking compromises with political opponents. In November, Ecuador’s Constituent Assembly officially began its work, and suspended the National Congress.
On Jul. 18, a full constitutional draft was approved by the pro-government majority in the Constituent Assembly. Opposition members had stopped working on the document a week earlier and have said they will officially oppose it even if they cannot influence the final decision. The text includes a clause allowing for one consecutive presidential re-election. Two articles that would have legalized same-sex unions and given the indigenous Quechua tongue the status of official language were pulled out at the last minute.
The Electoral Court of Ecuador has scheduled the referendum for Sept. 28. The proposed constitution can only be ratified if the "Yes" side garners the support of more than 50 per cent of all participating voters.
On Sept. 16, Correa appointed a finance minister for the fourth time since the start of his term after Wilma Salgado resigned. The president criticized Salgado, claiming that she blocked his efforts to invest in national infrastructure and other major projects and adding that a "mafia" that "demonizes" public spending and uses taxpayer’s money "only to pay foreign debt" has run the Finance Ministry for years. Correa appointed María Elsa Viteri as the new finance minister.
Polling Data
How would you rate the performance of Rafael Correa as president?
| Very good | 56.5% |
| Good | 17.4% |
| Bad | 20.3% |
| Very bad | 5.5% |
Source: Perfiles de Opinión
Methodology: Interviews to 512 Ecuadorian adults in Quito and Guayaquil, conducted on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, 2007. Margin of error is 4.4 per cent.
No comments:
Post a Comment