LETTER OF AMBASSADOR OF ECUADOR ABOUT EDITORIAL
"AUTHORITARIANS IN THE ANDES"
Dear Editor,
The editorial "Authoritarians in the Andes" (December 8, 2007) contained several errors regarding Ecuador. President Correa's proposal to tax unproductive agricultural land was incorrectly described as expropriation instead of tax policy. Criticism of the suspension of Congress neglected to mention that Congress declared itself in recess until the democratically-elected Constituent Assembly finishes drafting a new constitution.
More troubling than the inaccuracies is the one size fits all analysis for a diverse region. Ecuador has suffered through a prolonged constitutional crisis resulting in eight presidents in ten years. The Correa government was elected with a mandate to fix this problem through a new constitution, and that is precisely what it is doing. The Constituent Assembly was supported by 80 percent of Ecuadoreans in an April referendum with delegates elected in September. The constitution developed by these delegates will undergo a national vote upon completion. In Spanish, this process is called democracia.
Sincerely,
Luis Gallegos,
Ambassador of Ecuador
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