ECUADOR: Minor clashes break out as supporters of constitutional reform protest in downtown Quito

Clashes broke out for a third day in a row on Thursday (February 01) in Quito between students demanding support for leftist President Rafael Correa's constitutional reforms and police. Hundreds of students gathered near the National Congress and the violence began when the police tried to drive them back. Thursday's demonstration was not as large as those on previous days. Still clouds of tear gas filled the streets of Quito near the National Congress. Most Ecuadoreans back Correa's call for a referendum to decide whether to call an assembly with broad powers to draft a new constitution for the unstable South American nation. "We are protesting against the National Congress, more specifically against the PSC, PRIAN, PSP and UDC (referring to various political parties), the extreme right that doesn't want Ecuador to change. They are the main opponents of the Constitutional Assembly," said protest leader Nicolas Gualle. While the charismatic Correa enjoys a 73-percent approval rating, Congress is widely seen as corrupt and inefficient and is favored by only 13 percent of Ecuadoreans, according to a recent Cedatos Gallup poll. "We are here so that the Congress stops robbing the Ecuadorian people, so that the Constitutional Assembly can go forward," said another protester, Diego Navarrete. An ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Correa was elected in November promising to introduce sweeping reforms to curtail the influence of traditional political parties that many Ecuadoreans blame for chronic instability. But his push for a political overhaul has triggered worries about turmoil in a country where three elected presidents have been ousted in a decade. Supporters of the constitutional reform said they are planning an enormous demonstration for Wednesday (February 7).

ITN Source | February 2, 2007

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