Correa pledges land distribution, media clamp but also mining law to attract investors
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, 49, vowed to press ahead with laws to control the media and redistribute land to the poor as he looks to deepen his revolution after a resounding Sunday re-election victory. Correa has already been in power six years and will add another four.
However Correa will have to balance his desire for a populist agenda with the need for pragmatic negotiations with foreign investors to raise Ecuador's oil production and spur the mining industry. And on Monday he focused on his reforms saying he'd push through legislation that has been blocked by opposition leaders in Congress.
“The first thing we'll do is to push through key laws that have been left to wither as a way of hurting Correa, but this has actually hurt the country,” Correa said in an interview with regional television network Telesur.
Those include a proposed land redistribution drive to give terrain deemed unproductive to poor peasants and setting up a showdown with large banana and flower producers. He also plans to create a state watchdog group to determine if media have published inappropriate content.
In addition, Ecuadoreans voted for a new Congress on Sunday and Correa said he expected his ruling Alianza Pais to win a majority. That would help speed his efforts to pass the proposed legislation.
But he is also expected to pass a new mining law that would ease investment terms as a way of helping close a deal with Canada's Kinross to develop a large gold reserve. That will be a major test of his ability to offer investment security while ensuring the state keeps a large portion of revenue.
The vice-president of Kinross in Ecuador, Dominic Channer, said that “good progress” had been made in the negotiations.
“Kinross ... understands that the government plans to send mining and tax reforms to the National Assembly. These reforms should provide improvements to investor security and an improved economic balance for mining projects” Channer told Reuters.
With almost three-fourths of votes counted by Monday afternoon Correa had 57% support compared with 23% for conservative candidate Guillermo Lasso. The election established Lasso, a former banker from the coastal city of Guayaquil, as the face of the opposition. Six other candidates trailed way behind.
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31 comments Feed
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Is the correct headline here.
Rob hard working people of land and give it to your brainless supporters, who don't actually want to work for a living.
Stifle the 'free' media even more than they already are.
And somehow he has made everything about him, and is equating himself with the country. An attack on him is an attack on the county.
Will these dictators never learn? Or more importantly, will the people never learn that 'populist' politicians are just a bunch of selfish, self promoters, who care nothing about anyone or anything except themselves and lining their own pockets.
“The voters deserve what they have coming.” - ChrisR
Sounds like you're talking about Obama or Cameron. O & C are just taking from and destroying the middle class and giving it to the 1%. For you Brits it's King John all over again! So, we'll see how you like it.
Actually, it looks like “All Trolls, All the Time” on MercoPress anymore.
Well “us Brits” certainly remember what it was like living with him ruling the country. Just as if was yesterday.
When was that? after Wilson and before Thatcher?
Just trying to place him!
Unfortunately, the people as a whole will end up completely dependent on the government. Even if their GDP grows because of increased oil production and metals extraction, yes that would show a higher per-capita GDP. But, that won't translate into a higher standard of living because the average income and the amount of disposable income probably won't change because the crackpots in the government will be funding all of their entitlement programs that keep the masses dependent on the government. So, in the end you'll have a country that has destroyed its landscape, has an illiterate population dependent on the government, and then you have a long term disaster.
@3 rylang23
“From now on that is how you will be perceived here. Nothing but a CIA troll. You will need to change you pseudonym now, but we will watch for you and call you out.” His laughable comment about me.
Oooohhhrrr! I am so frightened by you! Ha, ha, ha to the power googol (if you have ANY idea what that means).
I have the gist of you though, have you:
1) not read the article?;
2) OR (more likely) cannot understand the language of diplomacy?
Sep 18, 2010 ... 1 rylang23 (#) Sep 18th, 2010 : I will be moving to Uruguay very soon. And, I am so very proud to hear how President ...
As you have not moved to Uruguay DON’T, WE DON’T WANT YOU. Move to Chubut and be with your windy mate ‘I don’t Think’ because you clearly don’t think either.
Nothing chances with these idiots. Ha, ha, .
There was the interview with resident American left winger, acussing the US and the West of trying to stifle up and coming democracies such as Correas Ecuador and Venezuala.
Democracies! do me a favour. What's Correas's first order of business? gagging the free press.
Where do they find these commentators?
There is SO much land in this world. You could fit the entire population of.Earth into Texas at the density.of zNew York City.
Funny thing you say that, while the whole world are in Venezuela as observers during elections, reassuring that everything is being done democratically, the same observers aren't allowed in some states in USA, one of the few countries where one can get elected President without achieving the majority of the votes.
www.penguin-news.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=508:fisherman-swims-ashore-in-second-in-one-week-stanley-harbour-jigger-jumping-incident-
Not to soon though, those bobbies would like a bit more double bubble for their mortgages, another 6 too 12 months, do very nicely. On behalf of the Metropolitan police Benevolant Fund, thank you very much!
Olrite!!
He knows that land reforms and encouraging foreign investment will often conflict, but if he can balance it, good on him and good for Ecuador. He should have the confidence not to clamp down on the press.
He doesn't need Chavez anymore.
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