ECUADOR: Ecuadorians make final preparations for presidential elections

Ecuadorians made final preparations on Saturday (October 14) ahead of the start of presidential elections on Sunday (October 15). The streets of Quito were quiet ahead of Sunday's vote with the president of the Electoral Tribunal saying there was nothing more to do other than just wait for the voting to start. "There are 24-hours left, no more, until the presidential elections," said the President of the Electoral Tribunal Javier Cazar. "All of the election materials have been distributed throughout the country and all Provinces. The printing of the electoral documents also have advanced in a very opportune way, to the point where there really aren't any loose ends and we simply just need to start the elections tomorrow," Cazar said. Presidential front-runner, Rafael Correa, urged supporters to guarantee his first-round victory in Sunday's vote in a fiery speech staking his claim to being the region's next left-wing leader. The latest polls showed Correa, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, leading billionaire banana tycoon Alvaro Noboa, but without the margin he needs to avoid a second round in late November. Wall Street is fretting over the rise of Correa after he warned he could forgo bond payments. He vows to challenge the political old guard with his "citizen's revolution" in an appeal to many Ecuadorians tired of instability and corruption. In Guayaquil, election material was distributed to voting centres while voters made a final dash for voting cards. Noboa spoke with Reuters on Friday (October 13) and said his position was clear to voters. "We have said employment, homes, health, education. Homes, 300,000 per year. Employment, one million jobs in the tourism sector, in construction, there could be some two to three million jobs, develop agriculture in order to generate some employment. So then, anyone who is voting for me has the picture very clear," Noboa said. The poor Andean country has struggled to regain stability since President Lucio Gutierrez was ousted last year by protesters and lawmakers accusing him of abusing his authority. Ecuador has had seven presidents in the past decade and protests forced three of them out before their terms ended. One lasted just three days. An economic crisis in 1999 forced Ecuador into debt default. Correa, 43, a U.S.-trained former economy minister who spent time working in poor indigenous communities, has captured voters with a promise to sweep away the old "political mafia" and change the constitution with a popular assembly. His friendship with Chavez, anti-U.S. rhetoric and plans to re-negotiate energy and bond deals have drawn comparisons with the Venezuelan's socialist program and his attempts to tighten state control over the economy. A victory for Correa would strengthen the presence of anti-U.S. left-wing leaders in the Andean region where Chavez and Bolivia's Evo Morales are prominent. The latest poll this week -- from Informe Confidencial -- gave Correa 30 percent of intended votes, Noboa 23 percent and moderate candidate Leon Roldos 19 percent. The two top candidates must face off in a second round if no candidate wins a majority on Sunday or secures at least 40 percent of votes with a 10-point advantage. Owner of one of the world's top five banana plantations, Noboa, 55, is on his third try for the presidency. His rivals attack him for spending over campaign limits and using his wealth to try to buy the votes of poor Ecuadorians. Noboa, one of Latin America's richest men, has surpassed moderate rival Roldos by spending heavily and playing on fears Correa will wreck the economy and end Ecuador's dollar currency with sweeping leftist reforms, analysts said.

ITN Source | October 15, 2006

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