Ecuador

A new country

Nowadays Ecuador is one of the Latin-American countries undergoing more significant transformations. A new economy is consolidating, and new economic classes have emerged from anonymity. Since Ecuador petroleum wealth is mostly controlled by the State, the government has freed from foreign credit and investment. Ecuador has overcome its critical shortage of resources and is less dependent on other countries. Quito has become the economic port-city rival. Ecuador is modernizing rapidly despite not long ago it was among the most backward countries of Latin America. In the past, the unequal accumulation of wealth by the high and high-middle-income strata together with inflation and the lack of proportional wages resulted on a regressive redistribution of income that had mostly impacted the rural and the urban poor population. In any case, Ecuador economic development still concentrates in Quito, Guayaquil and the urban areas in general.

Until 2007, the origin of the political struggle and the general instability were due to personal interests among politicians. There were also some other problems like regionalism, religious intolerance, executive freedom and legislative controls. At present, the origin of political conflicts in Ecuador lies within economic and social issues which gives the country a new orientation. Political Parties in Ecuador were also affected by these changes. We are witnessing the demise of the traditional political system. There has been a profound ideological transformation because of the aparition of new personalities. It is good to know that the new parties are more interested in economic and social issues rather than personal or political preferences.

This year through a National Referendum, Ecuador approved its new Constitution. This could be considered as a progressive chapter for Ecuadorian history. New Regulations for political campaigns were established allowing to reduce the influence of electoral powers, meanwhile public financing is still granted for political parties. On the other hand, assumming that political instability has been a result of excessive party fragmentation, the new constirution seeks to reduce the number of political movements. This is perhaps the most important change for democracy in Ecuador future. Because of this, parties loose judicial recognition and thus the right to participate in elections when they fail to obtain at least 5 percent of the vote in two successive electoral rounds. Parties in Ecuador are not allowed to form an alliance in multiple candidate elections in order to insure the observance of the law mentioned above. Thus, the decision of which parties should exist in Ecuador is finally up to the people.

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