Correa Rafael. Freedom and justice can be achieved without imitating the USA
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa is one of the most controversial politicians in the world. He calls for the abolition of state borders, freedom of information and creates the world's first state-owned virtual currency, but he himself is regularly accused of corruption. He has been sheltering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for almost two years and at the same time discriminating against journalists in his country. Apparat studied the unusual views of Rafael Correa and figured out how he plans to build “socialism of the 21st century” with the help of technology.
Rafael Correa
President of EcuadorThe politician received a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois, where he proved the negative impact of labor market liberalization processes on the economies of Latin American countries. Shortly before the 2006 presidential elections, he resigned as Minister of Economy, saying he had encountered “administrative corruption.” After this, the future president's approval rating turned out to be higher than that of any administration employee at that time. Once in power, Correa directed a flood of oil money to solve social problems, improve the health care system and reduce poverty. At the same time, Correa infringes on the opposition media and is regularly accused of corruption.
Borders and visas are a relic of the last century
Rafael Correa is an adherent of the fashionable theory of “open borders” and “universal citizenship”, according to which all inhabitants of the planet should move freely throughout its territory. The Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008 recognized the unimpeded crossing of state borders as an inalienable human right. This allowed anyone from anywhere in the world to stay in the country for at least 90 days. This was followed by an influx of illegal immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East and the transformation of Ecuador into a favorite haven for terrorists and smugglers. As a result, the authorities abandoned their plans and canceled the visa-free regime with many countries. Correa had to forget about big words and romantic ideals:
We introduce universal citizenship and affirm the right to free movement of all inhabitants of the Earth. Our campaign will put an end to passports and visas that are a product of the 20th century.
Copyrights and patents hinder the development of society
In 2013, the Ecuadorian government allocated funds for the implementation of the strategically important project FLOK Society (or Free Free Open Knowledge Society). As part of this initiative, a research team led by P2P Foundation founder Michel Bauwens was tasked with developing a plan to transition Ecuador to a functioning post-capitalist knowledge economy with free access to information. Despite funding problems and government reluctance to cooperate, Bauens' team managed to complete what they started and present the results of their work at the Buen Conocer summit, which became the culmination of the FLOK Society project. But the main initiator, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, as it turned out, was not even aware of the existence of the summit. As a result, the project ended in complete disappointment for Bauwens - he reported the problems he had to face and his departure from the project to post on Facebook. Correa continues to dream of a society of free information.
Attempts to privatize any public good through, for example, patents are harmful to society, since in the absence of competition for the right to own the good, the number of people able to obtain it not only increases, but also public welfare improves. Patents are one of the biggest market mistakes.
National cryptocurrency - the future of government money
As part of the financial reform, a law was signed banning the circulation of bitcoins and any other cryptocurrencies in the country. At the same time, Ecuador became the first country to create its own national cryptocurrency. Ecuadorian virtual money will not be able to replace the US dollar as the main currency, but according to the authorities, it should create additional protection for the financial system. Some, however, consider digital money to be another populist step by the Ecuadorian authorities, who are short of money. The Wall Street Journal believes that the Central Bank will abuse the issuance of currency, which will inevitably lead to inflation. Correa was unhappy with the criticism of his idea:
It would seem that nothing can surprise us, but now a number of media outlets and “analysts” are criticizing electronic currency, which is nothing more than payment via a mobile phone. Incredible! This is the same as criticizing credit cards.
Corruption can be defeated with GPS
Rafael Correa promised to fight corruption by running for president. However, he himself faced accusations of it when the powers came into force. The politician initiated numerous investigations into previous violations, but it was not possible to defeat corruption: for example, the national police still does not inspire much trust among citizens. To combat this problem, Correa, as always, suggests using technology and GPS tracking of law enforcement to identify suspicious movements.
Unfortunately, the stereotypes of the old country still remain: an incredibly corrupt and ineffective national police force that no longer exists. Today, all patrols are equipped with a GPS system, and we can detect them instantly.
Freedom of speech is the highest value of humanity
In 2012, Rafael Correa presented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. As Correa himself admitted, he took this step because Assange would certainly have been extradited to the United States, where he would have faced the death penalty. Saving Assange helped the president maintain his image as a leftist ahead of the next presidential race.
If Assange is extradited to the United States, he will not be guaranteed the right to a fair trial. We want to make sure he receives a fair trial and that his life is not in danger, but we see clear signs of bullying.
...but in Ecuador the press should work only for the good of the country
Throughout his presidency, Correa accused journalists of lying and lack of truth-telling and urged them to focus on the Anglo-Saxon media model, which, according to the president, is not characterized by lies. Following numerous lawsuits against various media outlets and public insults against their employees, Correa signed a media law establishing administrative and criminal penalties for non-compliance and establishing a special monitoring body. The first to fall under the new law was the cartoonist Bonil, who was forced to correct the drawing in accordance with the requirements of officials, and the owner of the publication El Universo, in which Bonil published, was fined 95 thousand dollars. In addition to censorship, Correa also uses other methods of control, such as nationalizing television channels that criticize the government.
Lying is unnatural in Anglo-Saxon culture. And if a journalist lies in any media outlet, he most likely will no longer be able to practice journalism. Unfortunately, one of the main problems in the development of Latin America is the lack of love for the truth. The media lies to proclaim freedom of speech, politicians lie to look smarter. The media, believe it or not, tells us that in the name of freedom we must tolerate even lies.
...and hackers should go to jail
No matter how humane Correa's attitude towards Julian Assange may seem, his fellow hackers never aroused the same sentimental feelings in him. Over time, he even had to reconsider his attitude towards foreign freedom of information fighters. Initially, Ecuador was going to shelter Edward Snowden, but then changed its mind so as not to spoil relations with the United States.
Yesterday, two hackers suspected of hacking presidential data were detained. The court ordered their release, but the investigation continues. Corrupt journalists declared them innocent, and it would seem that there was no crime, but something much more serious happened. There will be neither a fair democracy nor freedom as long as information is in the hands of dishonest businessmen.
Freedom and justice can be achieved without imitating the USA
In his speeches, left-wing populist Rafael Correa often repeats that Ecuador has its own path to prosperity and sharply criticizes US policies. For example, he sees the task of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, financed from Washington, to establish control over Latin Americans - he even uses the term “neocolonialism” to describe the activities of the commission. However, despite external opposition, Ecuador depends on America. The largest number of tourists come from there, and, in addition, until recently, the United States provided Ecuador with certain trade preferences.
The United States is the most powerful country in the world and one of the most successful nations in human history, but there is no universal path to freedom and justice.
Rafael Correa
I remember when he came to us a few months before the election campaign in which he was thinking of running for the presidency of Ecuador. He was Minister of Economy in the government of Alfredo Palacio, a surgeon of professional prestige who also came to us as vice-president before taking over as president due to unforeseen circumstances that arose in Ecuador. He responded positively to the ophthalmic surgery program we proposed as a form of cooperation. At that time there were good relations between both governments.
Shortly before that, Correa resigned as Minister of Economy. He took issue with what he called administrative corruption perpetrated by the foreign enterprise Ohu, which carried out exploration and invested large sums but kept four of every five barrels of oil produced. He did not talk about nationalizing it, but about taking high taxes from it, which he earmarked in advance for the social investments listed in detail. He had already approved the measures, and the judge declared them legal.
Since he didn't mention the word "nationalize," I thought he was intimidated by the concept. This did not surprise me, since he was an economist who graduated with honors from a renowned university in the United States. I did not place much emphasis on this, but bombarded him with questions from the arsenal accumulated during the struggle with the external debt of Latin America in 1985 and the Cuban experience itself.
There are very large risk investments using the latest technology that are beyond the capabilities of any limp country like Cuba and Ecuador.
Since we were already determined to start an energy revolution in 2006 - we were the first country on the planet to declare that this was a vital issue for humanity - I was talking to him about this topic, emphasizing it, and suddenly stopped, realizing one from his arguments.
I told him about a conversation I had recently with the president of the Spanish company Repsol. It, teaming up with other international enterprises, could undertake such an expensive operation as drilling on the seabed, at a depth of more than 2,000 meters, using the latest technology, in Cuban territorial waters. I asked the head of the Spanish company: how much does an exploration well cost? I asked him this question because we want to participate by taking on at least one percent of the cost, we want to know what you are thinking of doing with our oil.
Correa, in turn, told me that out of every hundred dollars the companies extracted, only twenty remained in the country; they were not even included in the budget, he said, they remained in the form of a separate fund intended for anything but improving the living conditions of the people.
“I abolished the fund,” he told me, “and allocated 40 percent to education and health, technological development and road construction, and the rest to repurchase debt if its value favored us, otherwise I would invest it in other more useful things. Previously, we had to buy part of this debt every year, which kept getting more expensive.
In the case of Ecuador,” he added, “oil policy was on the verge of betraying the homeland.” - “Why are they doing this? - I asked him. “Is it because of fear of the Americans or because of unbearable pressure?” He answered me: “If they have a minister of economics who tells them that privatization improves efficiency, then you can imagine. I didn't do it."
I ask him to continue, and he calmly explains how things are. “The foreign company Ohu is an enterprise that has terminated its contract and, according to Ecuadorian law, it is no longer valid. This means that the site exploited by this enterprise should go to the state, but due to American pressure, the government does not dare to occupy it, creating a situation not provided for by law. The law speaks of loss of power and nothing more. The trial judge, who was the president of the PETROECUADOR enterprise, did just that. I was a member of PETROECUADOR, and we were urgently called to a meeting to remove him from his post. I didn’t show up and they couldn’t remove it. The judge ruled that it was no longer valid."
“What did the Americans want?” - I asked. “They wanted a fine,” he quickly replies. Listening to him, I realized that I had underestimated him.
I was in a hurry because I had a lot to do. Invited him to a meeting with a large group of highly qualified Cuban specialists who were traveling to Bolivia to join the medical team; it includes personnel for more than 30 hospitals, among others 19 surgical stations, which can perform more than 130 thousand ophthalmic operations annually; all this in the form of free cooperation. There are three such centers in Ecuador with six ophthalmological stations.
The dinner with the Ecuadorian economist took place on the night of February 9, 2006. There were hardly any issues that I did not touch upon. I even talked to him about such harmful mercury, which modern industrial enterprises dump into the seas of the planet. Of course, I emphasized the theme of consumerism; spoke about the high cost of a kilowatt/hour at thermal power plants; about the differences between socialist and communist forms of distribution, about the role of money, about the trillions that are spent on advertising, forcibly paid by the people in the form of prices for goods, and about studies carried out by university social teams that revealed among 500 thousand families in the capital how many old people live alone. I explained to him the stage of universalization of higher education that we are implementing.
We parted as great friends, although perhaps I seemed overly self-confident to him. If so, then it really happened against my will.
Since then, I have watched his every move: the electoral process, the approach to the specific problems of the Ecuadorians, and the victory of the people over the oligarchy.
There is much in the history of both peoples that connects us. Sucre has always been a figure of great admiration, as is the Liberator Bolívar, who, according to Martí, if he has not done something in America, it remains to be done, and, as Neruda said, awakens once every hundred years.
Imperialism has just committed a terrible crime in Ecuador. The deadly bombs were dropped during the night on a group of men and women who were almost without exception sleeping. This follows from all official reports transmitted from the first moment. Specific accusations against this group of people do not justify this action. These were American bombs, directed by American satellites.
Absolutely no one has the right to kill in cold blood. If we accept this imperial method of war and barbarism, then American bombs, guided by satellites, can be dropped on any group of Latin American men and women, on the territory of any country, whether there is a war or not. The fact that this happened on proven Ecuadorian territory aggravates the guilt.
We are not Colombia's enemies. From the previous reflections and exchanges of views, it is clear how much effort we have made - both the current President of the Council of State of Cuba and myself - to adhere to the clearly expressed principled and peaceful policy in our relations with other states of Latin America, proclaimed many years ago.
Today, the fact that everything is in danger does not turn us into a warring party. We are strong advocates of unity among nations, what Marty called Our America.
By remaining silent, we would become accomplices. Today they want to put our friend, economist and President of Ecuador Rafael Correa in the dock - something we could not even think about that night of February 9, 2006. Then it seemed that my imagination was capable of containing all sorts of dreams and dangers, but nothing like what happened on the night of Saturday, March 1, 2008.
Correa has several survivors on his hands, the rest are corpses. The two missing ones prove that Ecuadorian territory was invaded by troops who crossed the border. Now he can exclaim like Emile Zola: I accuse!
Fidel Castro Rus
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Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado(Spanish) Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado , genus. April 6, Guayaquil, Ecuador) - statesman and political figure of Ecuador, President of Ecuador since 2006.
Doctor of Economics, graduate of the University of Illinois (USA). He served as Minister of Economy.
He won the presidency in the presidential elections on November 26, 2006 thanks to his socialist slogans in support of “ordinary people” and anti-American rhetoric. The inauguration took place on January 15, 2007. It was attended by the presidents of Bolivia (Evo Morales), Venezuela (Hugo Chavez), Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua (Daniel Ortega), Peru, as well as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
According to Rafael Correa, his foreign policy will be aimed at the formation of a single Latin American bloc and the fight against US hegemony. In another pre-election speech, he described US President George W. Bush as an “extraordinarily stupid” person. Correa opposes the creation of a single trade zone with the United States and against the extension of the existing agreement with the United States on the lease of a military air base near the city of Manta (western Ecuador).
On September 30, 2010, during mass protests, he was injured in an attack during a meeting with protesting demonstrators. For several hours he was imprisoned in a hospital, where he turned for help and from where he was evacuated by government troops.
He won the elections on February 17, 2013 and was re-elected for the third time as President of Ecuador.
Political ideology
Correa belongs to the camp of “socialists of the 21st century” (this project was developed by Hugo Chavez, continues by Nicolas Maduro and Evo Morales, as well as the Cuban government). This policy assumes, first of all, an increase in the public sector in the economy. The leaders of these countries promise their people such measures as investing profits in health care, education, building housing for the poor in cities and villages, supplying the population with food at reduced prices - that is, improving the lives of the broadest sections of society. At the same time, this ideology presupposes opposition to the inclusion of states in the “world neoliberal system,” which should allow them to preserve their own wealth and use it to improve the standard of living of the population.
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Excerpt characterizing Correa, Rafael
“In this case, he is going to his death, waiting for our attack,” Langeron said with a thin ironic smile, looking back at the nearest Miloradovich for confirmation.But Miloradovich, obviously, at that moment was thinking least of all about what the generals were arguing about.
“Ma foi, [By God,” he said, “tomorrow we will see everything on the battlefield.”
Weyrother grinned again with that smile that said that it was funny and strange for him to meet objections from the Russian generals and to prove what not only he himself was too sure of, but what the emperors were sure of.
“The enemy has put out the fires, and a continuous noise is heard in his camp,” he said. - What does it mean? “Either he moves away, which is the only thing we should be afraid of, or he changes his position (he grinned). But even if he took a position in Tyuras, he only saves us from a lot of trouble, and all the orders, down to the smallest detail, remain the same.
“How then?” said Prince Andrei, who had been waiting for a long time for an opportunity to express his doubts.
Kutuzov woke up, cleared his throat heavily and looked around at the generals.
“Gentlemen, the disposition for tomorrow, even today (because it’s already the first hour), cannot be changed,” he said. “You heard her, and we will all do our duty.” And before a battle, there is nothing more important... (he paused) than getting a good night's sleep.
He pretended to stand up. The generals took their leave and left. It was already past midnight. Prince Andrei left.
The military council, at which Prince Andrei was not able to express his opinion, as he had hoped, left a vague and alarming impression on him. He did not know who was right: Dolgorukov and Weyrother or Kutuzov and Langeron and others who did not approve of the attack plan. “But was it really impossible for Kutuzov to directly express his thoughts to the sovereign? Can't this really be done differently? Is it really necessary to risk tens of thousands and my, my life for the sake of court and personal considerations?” he thought.
“Yes, it’s very possible they’ll kill you tomorrow,” he thought. And suddenly, at this thought of death, a whole series of memories, the most distant and most intimate, arose in his imagination; he remembered the last farewell to his father and wife; he remembered the first times of his love for her! He remembered her pregnancy, and he felt sorry for both her and himself, and in a nervously softened and excited state he left the hut in which he had stood with Nesvitsky and began to walk in front of the house.
The night was foggy, and moonlight mysteriously broke through the fog. “Yes, tomorrow, tomorrow! - he thought. “Tomorrow, perhaps, everything will be over for me, all these memories will no longer exist, all these memories will no longer have any meaning for me.” Tomorrow, maybe, even probably, tomorrow, I foresee it, for the first time I will finally have to show everything that I can do.” And he imagined the battle, its loss, the concentration of the battle on one point and the confusion of all the commanders. And now that happy moment, that Toulon, which he had been waiting for so long, finally appears to him. He firmly and clearly speaks his opinion to Kutuzov, Weyrother, and the emperors. Everyone is amazed at the correctness of his idea, but no one undertakes to carry it out, and so he takes a regiment, a division, pronounces a condition so that no one will interfere with his orders, and leads his division to the decisive point and alone wins. What about death and suffering? says another voice. But Prince Andrei does not answer this voice and continues his successes. The disposition of the next battle is made by him alone. He holds the rank of army duty officer under Kutuzov, but he does everything alone. The next battle was won by him alone. Kutuzov is replaced, he is appointed... Well, and then? another voice speaks again, and then, if you are not wounded, killed or deceived ten times before; Well, then what? “Well, then,” Prince Andrei answers himself, “I don’t know what will happen next, I don’t want and can’t know: but if I want this, I want fame, I want to be known to people, I want to be loved by them, then It’s not my fault that I want this, that this alone is what I want, this alone is what I live for. Yes, for this alone! I'll never tell anyone this, but oh my God! What should I do if I love nothing but glory, human love? Death, wounds, loss of family, nothing scares me. And no matter how dear or dear many people are to me - my father, sister, wife - the most dear people to me - but, no matter how scary and unnatural it seems, I will give them all now for a moment of glory, triumph over people, for love for to myself people whom I do not know and will not know, for the love of these people,” he thought, listening to the conversation in Kutuzov’s yard. In Kutuzov's yard the voices of the orderlies were heard; one voice, probably the coachman, teasing the old Kutuzovsky cook, whom Prince Andrei knew, and whose name was Titus, said: “Titus, what about Titus?”
“Well,” answered the old man.
“Titus, go thresh,” said the joker.
“Ugh, to hell with it,” a voice rang out, covered by the laughter of the orderlies and servants.
“And yet I love and treasure only the triumph over all of them, I treasure this mysterious power and glory that floats above me here in this fog!”
That night Rostov was with a platoon in the flanker chain, ahead of Bagration’s detachment. His hussars were scattered in chains in pairs; he himself rode on horseback along this line of chain, trying to overcome the sleep that was irresistibly pushing him over. Behind him he could see a huge expanse of our army’s fires burning dimly in the fog; ahead of him was foggy darkness. No matter how much Rostov peered into this foggy distance, he saw nothing: sometimes it turned gray, sometimes something seemed black; then lights seemed to flash where the enemy should be; then he thought that it was only shining in his eyes. His eyes closed, and in his imagination he imagined first the sovereign, then Denisov, then Moscow memories, and again he hastily opened his eyes and close in front of him he saw the head and ears of the horse on which he was sitting, sometimes the black figures of the hussars when he was six steps away I ran into them, and in the distance there was still the same foggy darkness. "From what? It’s very possible,” Rostov thought, “that the sovereign, having met me, will give an order, like any officer: he will say: “Go, find out what’s there.” Many people told how, quite by accident, he recognized some officer and brought him closer to him. What if he brought me closer to him! Oh, how I would protect him, how I would tell him the whole truth, how I would expose his deceivers,” and Rostov, in order to vividly imagine his love and devotion to the sovereign, imagined an enemy or deceiver of the German whom he enjoyed not only killed, but hit him on the cheeks in the eyes of the sovereign. Suddenly a distant cry woke up Rostov. He shuddered and opened his eyes.
Rafael Correa(Spanish: Rafael Correa Delgado) - Doctor of Economic Sciences, politician and statesman, from 2007 to 2017. - President (on May 24, 2017 he transferred the post of Head of State to his political ally -).
Perhaps one of the most charismatic and colorful leaders in Latin America, an irreconcilable fighter against American hegemony and a consistent builder of “socialism of the 21st century.”
Carier start
Rafael Correa was born on April 6, 1963 in the city, on the Pacific coast, into a modest working-class family, which in addition to him had three more children. Rafael had a difficult childhood; his family had difficulty making ends meet. Against all odds, the young man graduated from the Catholic school “San Jose de La Salle” in Guayaquil, after studying economics at the Catholic University of Guayaquil (Spanish UCSG), where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1987. While studying at UCSG, Correa was elected president Association of Economics Students of the University. He then received a master's degree in economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium (1991), and a master's degree in natural sciences and economics from the University of Illinois (USA) (1999). Later he defended his doctorate in economics in the USA (2001)
When Rafael was 25 years old, his father was caught smuggling cocaine into the United States. He was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison and committed suicide. Later, R. Correa publicly acknowledged this fact, saying: “... drug smugglers are not criminals, they are unemployed people or single mothers who are desperately trying to feed their families.” Correa even has plans to reform the laws governing such crimes. Correa's resentment of US politics stems in part from this tragic incident in his life.
R. Correa was not known to the general public until 2005, when he was appointed Minister of Economy of Ecuador under Alfredo Palacio. However, after serving in office for 106 days, he resigned, doing so in protest against international interference in state affairs.
Rafael Correa in the Ecuadorian Amazon
When Correa resigned as minister. Polls showed that he had the highest popularity among government officials of the time, with 57% of Ecuadorians trusting him.
After leaving his ministerial post, Correa began leading the Alianza PAIS movement (from Spanish “Alliance Country”) and developing a policy for carrying out the reforms necessary for the country. Correa is fluent in Spanish, French and English, and speaks the language well - in his youth, the future head of state worked for a year as a missionary in Zumbahua (Provincia de Cotopaxi), in Indian settlements in Ecuador.
Presidency
Correa officially won the presidency in the elections of November 26. 2006 thanks to its anti-American rhetoric, socialist slogans and promises to get rid of the traditionally corrupt political class.
The inauguration of the 56th President of Ecuador took place on January 15, 2007. The ceremony was attended by: - the head of, - the President of Nicaragua, as well as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the leader of Iran.
According to R. Correa's repeated statements, his foreign policy course will be aimed at the formation of a single Latin American union and the fight against US hegemony. Correa opposes the formation of a single trade zone with the United States and against the extension of the existing lease agreement with the United States for a military air base near the city (Spanish: San Pablo de Manta) in western Ecuador.
Correa's first term of office was supposed to end on January 15, 2011. But according to the new Constitution, he, with the approval of the new National Assembly, received a mandate for early general elections on April 26, 2009. In them, Rafael Correa won in the first round, gaining 54% of the votes, and was re-elected for a second term. In 2nd place was the former president of the country, Lucio Gutierrez (Spanish: Lucio Edwin Gutierrez) - 31%, in 3rd place - the Ecuadorian “banana king” Alvaro Noboa (Spanish: Alvaro Fernando Noboa) with 8% of the votes.
At the next elections on 17.02. 2013 Rafael Correa again won the first round of the presidential race, gaining 56% of the vote and taking office for the third time as president of the state. It should be noted that Correa was not only re-elected for another term, but also received a majority of seats in the National Parliament. The political bloc “Alianza PAIS” headed by him received 100 seats out of 137 (73%).
“According to the new Constitution of the state, this is my last presidential term... Being the head of the State is a huge responsibility and hard work, when the fate of millions of people, including your loved ones, depends on your decision. My children grew up without a father, since the affairs of the state did not leave me time to raise them,” admitted R. Correa.
Political ideology
Rafael Correa belongs to the galaxy of “socialists of the 21st century” (a project adhered to by Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and the leadership of Cuba). This policy, first of all, involves an increase in government. sectors in the economy, channeling profits into health care, education, building housing for the poor and otherwise improving their lot.
Correa always says that he does not seek to copy the Venezuelan or Cuban socialist models. The president is more impressed by the South Korean model, where a strong, authoritarian government pursues a tough economic policy in which education is given predominant importance, where significant financial resources are directed. R. Correa's economic strategy is to make the mining and oil industries the main driving force of government reforms.
During a visit to South Korea in 2010, the Ecuadorian president said that this country was able to transform from a poor country into a developed one in a short period of time. This is what should serve as a shining example for Ecuador.
According to political scientists, his death gives real chances to Rafael Correa, who has charisma and great intellectual abilities, to become the leader of Socialism in the 21st century. throughout Latin America. Many Western analysts consider Correa a worthy heir and successor to Hugo Chavez. Although he himself does not support conversations on this topic, Correa dedicated his victory in the last (in a row) elections to Chavez. It is interesting that upon learning of his victory, the President went out to the square and began to dance with those gathered, and then together with everyone he sang a song into the microphone with the words: “We have a President, and his name is Rafael!”
Excerpts from an interview with an RT correspondent dated October 29, 2013.
CORREA: Now is the time of new hope in Latin America... it is developing, poverty and inequality are decreasing in some countries, such as Ecuador.
We managed to achieve the most important thing - to defeat hopelessness. In 2007, before me was ... a torn apart, completely demoralized country, which had no self-esteem, which was convinced that it was good for nothing. After the 1999 crisis, we even lost our national currency...We are still very far from solving all our problems. But now Ecuador has hope, there is self-esteem, there is self-confidence.