Landslide victory for Correa in Ecuadorian constitutional referendum

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa (image) will not have to quit after approximately 4 out of every 5 voters chose to back a government-led initiative to rewrite the country’s constitution. Correa boasted that the overwhelming approval of a constitutional assembly that would curb the power of traditional political parties was a “historical…triumph for the homeland” He also took advantage of the victory to announce that Ecuador will pay back its debt with the International Monetary Fund and sever ties with the organization.

Why did the referendum result in such a clear victory for a constitutional assembly? In an interview with the local media, historian Juan Paz y Miño gave three primary reasons:

“The first is that in the past 25 years Ecuador has used an economic model benefiting…an elite, thus creating one of the world’s most economically imbalanced countries.

Institutions, such as Congress, have been questioned and had its legitimacy diminished through much of their activities.

The final reason is that…political democracy over the past 25 years has excluded the general populace and did not crate a social democracy.”

According to Prensa Latina a constitutional assembly should be elected by this October and a new constitution for Ecuador may be approved via another national referendum in about a year from now.

Update: Hugh Collins writes in Foreign Policy magazine's blog over the possibility that Rafael Correa could become "another Hugo Chavez." Collins doesn't believe that will be the case:

"A lot of people are worried about Correa's victory, fearing that the leftist firebrand is a Chavista dictator in the making. These people don't know Ecuador".

Links- The Latin Americanist, Tribunal Supremo Electoral, El Telegrafo, Newsday, La Hora, Prensa Latina

Image- CBC