ECUADOR: NEW PRESIDENT SEEKS FRAGILE BALANCE AMONGST PRESSURES
IPS Correspondents
QUITO - The first steps taken by Ecuador's new president, Alfredo Palacio, and his new cabinet demonstrate his intention of attempting to stay on good terms with the entire political spectrum and the country's social movements, while avoiding international isolation.
To the right-wing Social Christian Party (PSC), Palacio handed over control of the rich southwestern province of Guayas, naming a governor from that party, who announced support for the participation of private security guards in law enforcement in the city of Guayaquil, the provincial capital.
This measure had been called for several months ago by Guayaquil Mayor Jaime Nebot and the local business chambers, but was refused by Palacio's predecessor, Lucio Gutiérrez, who was removed by Congress last week after eight days of street protests.
Palacio also left open the possibility of holding a referendum to allow voters to decide on the question of provincial autonomy, demanded for years by the PSC, which is strong in Guayas and Guayaquil, Ecuador's economic capital.
PSC leaders have given their support to Palacio to complete Gutiérrez's term, through January 2007.
The party has also criticised the demonstrators who took to the streets earlier this month demanding that the former president step down, and who continue calling for the removal of all of the members of Congress.
Another decision reached by Palacio was to reinstate representatives of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) at the head of several state bodies, from which they were dismissed by Gutiérrez.
The state entities in question are the Council for Development of the Indigenous Nationalities and People of Ecuador, an independent agency that answers to the president; the National Office of Bilingual Intercultural Education; and the National Office for Indigenous Health.
The president also offered the powerful CONAIE the vice-presidency and provincial governorships.
More than 40 percent of Ecuador's 13 million people belong to indigenous communities.
CONAIE president Luis Macas told IPS that the new government is one of transition towards the "structural changes" that are needed to transform the country's democratic institutions.
The government must call on "the people to organise a new democratic system," rather than merely attempt to "patch up" the current system, as occurred after the downfall of other presidents in recent Ecuadorian history, said Macas.
Ecuador has gone through seven presidents in 10 years.
In the protests calling for Gutiérrez's removal, CONAIE and other social movements demanded that Ecuador pull out of the talks in which this country, along with Colombia and Peru, are currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States.
The new administration has suggested the creation of "working groups" or assemblies to debate the free trade agreement and other issues.
"The people of Ecuador hope in the next elections to exercise democracy in such a way that goes beyond simply casting a vote," said Palacio. For that reason, he added, his government plans to convene national working groups and panels to discuss the transformation of the state.
"These assemblies will give rise to the questions to be included in a referendum in which voters will decide on their own future," he added. "Later, we will have the possibility of carrying out constitutional reforms, or holding a constituent assembly" to rewrite the constitution.
Former president Gustavo Noboa (2000-2003) also set up panels in 2001, after an indigenous uprising in which four protesters were killed. And Gutiérrez did something similar at the start of his term, in 2003.
But on neither occasion were the measures discussed put into practice.
Two of Palacio's cabinet choices seem to worry Washington. The first, Finance Minister Rafael Correa, is an economist who is critical of Ecuador' (END)
