Category: Lenin Moreno
Ecuador: Lenin Moreno’s social democracy is not the answer to capitalist barbarity
worker | April 5, 2017 | 9:31 pm | Analysis, Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, political struggle, Syriza | Comments closed

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Ecuador: Lenin Moreno’s social democracy is not the answer to capitalist barbarity

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2017/04/ecuador-lenin-morenos-social-democracy.html
EDITORIAL / In Defense of Communism ©.
 
“It’s Official”, reads the report of teleSUR, Lenin Moreno elected President of Ecuador”. Ecuadorean eleciton authorities made the results of the presidential election official Tuesday, announcing a win for renowned disability activist and former vice president Lenin Moreno of President Rafael Correa’s governing Alianza Pais party. With 99.65 percent of the votes counted, the National Electoral Council, known as CNE, said the trend of Moreno’s win was irreversible and that the results showed the will of the Ecuadoreans”.
 
Moreno and his vice president Jorge Glass won with 5,057,149 votes or 51.16 percent over former banker Guillermo Lasso and his vice president Andres Paez, of the right-wing CREO-SUMA alliance, who secured 4,827,753 votes and 48.84 percent. 
“We want to dignify politics, to be a good example for citizens, especially for our youth,” Moreno said in a press conference in Quito after the CNE announced the official results.
However- and despite the celebrations by parts of the communist Left around the world – Moreno’s electoral victory does not consist a revolutionary act. In fact, both the two candidates- Moreno and Lasso- do not challenge the capitalist way of development. Both the governing Allianza Pais and the right-wing CREO-SUMA alliance have a common strategy: they both aim in preserve the capitalist economic model. Their difference lies on the mixture of policies which will better serve the interests of the local bourgeoisie.
The so-called “Citizens’ Revolution” of Rafael Correa, which Lenin Moreno has promised to continue, did not consist an actual socialist revolution, but a way of managing the current capitalist economy of Ecuador. After all, it is no secret that Correa’s policy has been praised and supported by numerous opportunists and social democratic forces in Europe like, for example, SYRIZA.
Like the cases of Venezuela and Bolivia, the period of Rafael Correa’s leadership in Ecuador consists a proof that the so-called “21st century socialism” is nothing but another mode of capitalism’s management. Within this framework of capitalist economy, the promises for “pro-people, pro-workers” policies are pure illusions aimed at trapping large working masses into the bourgeois political agenda.
The answer to capitalist barbarity does not lie in the social democratic recipes of Mr.Correa or Mr.Moreno. What the working people of Ecuador need is to organise and strengthen their struggle against capital and its power. For that, a necessary prerequisite is the strengthening of the communist-revolutionary forces in the country towards a large, working class front against capitalist exploitation and its servants. 
Raúl congratulates Lenín Moreno for his presidential win in Ecuador
worker | April 4, 2017 | 8:59 pm | Analysis, Announcements, Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, political struggle | Comments closed

http://en.granma.cu/mundo/2017-04-04/raul-congratulates-lenin-moreno-for-his-presidential-win-in-ecuador

Raúl congratulates Lenín Moreno for his presidential win in Ecuador

The President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, congratulated the Alianza País candidate, Lenín Moreno, who this Sunday, April 2, defeated the right wing hopeful of his country in the second round of Ecuador’s presidential elections

The President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, congratulated the Alianza País candidate, Lenín Moreno, who this Sunday, April 2, defeated the right wing hopeful of his country in the second round of Ecuador’s presidential elections.

“I congratulate you on the electoral victory that will initiate a new stage of the Citizens’ Revolution and will continue the commitment of this sister nation to the unity and defense of the sovereignty of Our America,” Raúl wrote in a missive dated April 2.

The Cuban President reaffirmed the island’s support for the changes initiated more than a decade ago by outgoing President Rafael Correa.

“Cuba will accompany you with the same friendship and solidarity as always,” the Army General added, before concluding by expressing the assurances of his “highest consideration and respect,” for Moreno.

According to reports by news agency Andes, this Monday, April 3, the Ecuadoran President-elect expressed his gratitude for the messages of congratulations sent by Latin American leaders following his triumph in the second round of elections.

“Thanks to Latin American presidents for their calls and messages of congratulations and affection – we will strengthen our integration!” Moreno tweeted.

The President of Bolivia, Evo Morales; Salvador Sánchez Cerén of El Salvador; Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia; Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela; Michelle Bachelet of Chile; and former Argentine president, Cristina Fernández, among others, congratulated Moreno on his win.

Among those who expressed support for the president-elect was WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been confined to the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012.

Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Guillaume Long also announced that the ministry has received messages from many sister nations congratulating the Ecuadoran people on the successful elections.

It’s Official: Lenin Moreno Elected President of Ecuador
worker | April 4, 2017 | 8:02 pm | Analysis, Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, political struggle | Comments closed

 

TheWorldToday

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Its-Official-Lenin-Moreno-Elected-President-of-Ecuador-20170402-0037.html

Opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso still has not accepted the results.

Ecuadorean eleciton authorities made the results of the presidential election official Tuesday, announcing a win for renowned disability activist and former vice president Lenin Moreno of President Rafael Correa’s governing Alianza Pais party.

IN PHOTOS:
Left or Right? Ecuadoreans Vote in Decisive Presidential Race

With 99.65 percent of the votes counted, the National Electoral Council, known as CNE, said the trend of Moreno’s win was irreversible and that the results showed the will of the Ecuadoreans.

Moreno and his vice president Jorge Glass won with 5,057,149 votes or 51.16 percent over former banker Guillermo Lasso and his vice president Andres Paez, of the right-wing CREO-SUMA alliance, who secured 4,827,753 votes and 48.84 percent.

“We want to dignify politics, to be a good example for citizens, especially for our youth,” Moreno said in a press conference in Quito after the CNE announced the official results.

The president-elect declared victory Sunday night when official results showed a 2 percent lead over the opposition.

In what many had already predicted, right-wing Lasso and Paez called for a recount, even though the CNE said it was a transparent and successful election process, calling for everyone to respect the results.

Moreno is set to continue and expand social programs introduced under outgoing President Rafael Correa, for whom Lenin served as vice president from 2007 to 2013, before working as the U.N. special envoy for Disability and Accessibility.

Moreno who has been wheelchair bound after being shot and paralyzed in 1998, is well known for his advocacy work for people with disabilities and supporting public education. Jorge Glas, who also served in the Correa administration will now serve as vice president. The new administration will be officially inaugurated on May 24.

As Rafael Correa departs after 10 years of consecutive rule and a number of social gains made under the Citizens’ Revolution, the victory for Moreno is seen as key not only for Ecuador but for the wider Latin American region. Ecuador will remain a part of the pink tide that has swept the region in the past two decades, not following the right-wing shift that took place in 2016 in Argentina and Brazil.

OPINION:
Ecuador’s Tax Evading Oligarchs Try to Reconquer the Nation

“This is a positive endorsement of our plan to create a more equal Ecuador,” said Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Guillaume Long in response to the results. “We have made great strides in social progress in the past decade and we will now continue to do so for the next four years.”

After decades of social and economic instability including the frequent changing of presidents, Alianza Pais under Correa lifted more than 1 million people out of poverty, tripled tax income and expanded the country’s universal health care and education system.

Sunday’s election was the second round of voting after Moreno fell short by less than 0.7 percent on Feb. 19 to win in the first round.

Close to 12.5 million Ecuadoreans in the country, along with almost 400,000 emigrants around the world, were eligible to vote in Sunday’s election. Polling stations were set up in Miami, New York, London and Madrid.

Moreno voted in the north of Quito, accompanied by hundreds of his supporters. Lasso voted with his family in his hometown in the port city of Guayaquil. Correa also voted in the capital along with other government ministers.

“It’s a decisive moment for the region because of the extreme right-wing’s reaction in the last years. Ecuadorean elections are very important,” said Correa while voting.

Moreno’s supporters who gathered from the early afternoon celebrated in the central-north of Quito, outside the headquarters of Alianza Pais.

The election was overseen by international observers including former Uruguayan President Jose “Pepe” Mujica, working with the UNASUR electoral mission. Mujica confirmed that the voting had been transparent.

Despite the CNE and international observers announcing that there were no issues with voting, similar to the first round of voting in February, rumors of voting fraud were circulated on social media by the opposition.

OAS Observer Mission Hails Ecuador Elections, Dismisses Fraud
worker | April 4, 2017 | 7:57 pm | Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, political struggle | Comments closed

 http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/OAS-Observer-Mission-Hails-Ecuador-Elections-Dismisses-Fraud-20170403-0037.html

  • Supporters of presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso holding Ecuadorean flags protest outside the national electoral council headquarters in Quito.

    Supporters of presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso holding Ecuadorean flags protest outside the national electoral council headquarters in Quito. | Photo: Reuters

Published 3 April 2017 (23 hours 47 minutes ago)

The mission said its results matched the official data and called on the opposition to use proper channels challenges instead of violence.

The electoral observation mission of the Organization of American States in Ecuador, OAS, issued a statement Monday hailing the electoral process in Sunday’s presidential vote, recognizing the efforts for transparency made by election authorities and rejecting fraud claims yet calling for using proper channels, instead of violence, to address concerns.

RELATED:
Moreno Makes History: 1st Head of State Elected With Paraplegia

The OAS mission, led by former Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, had 77 observers in 19 different provinces across Ecuador during the second round of country’s presidential elections, in which leftist candidate Lenin Moreno has been declared a winner.

The mission said the National Electoral Council, CNE, adopted many of the recommendations it presented after the first round of the elections back in February, in which OAS observers participated and “facilitated the process of setting up the voting stations and expedited the voting and the transmission of results.”

Addressing the fraud claims made by the opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso and his supporters, the Mission said it found “no discrepancies between the observed records and the official data” from the CNE.

The mission further said it was “grateful for the welcoming of the electoral and governmental authorities, which enabled the delegation to gather the necessary information to carry out its work.”

However, the mission criticized the release of the exit polls just minutes ahead of the end of voting which in some cases showed results significantly different than the actual results from the official agency.

“The great disparity between the results of the different surveys generated uncertainty among the electorate and led both candidates to declare themselves winners before the official data published by the National Electoral Council were known.”

Lasso announced himself to be the winner shortly after voting ended, based on the numbers of the controversial polling company Cedatos, which is under legal proceedings for receipts of payments in the weeks leading up to the elections.

The pollster received a large cheque from Livercostas, which is allegedly linked to Banco de Guayaquil, of which Lasso was formerly the executive president and largest shareholder.

The OAS also affirmed that the CNE is the only institution with legal authority to issue the final results of the presidential elections and backed the results they have put forward so far, while also recognizing the right to challenge such results through the proper procedures.

RELATED:
‘Impossible’: Ecuador’s Electoral Missions Address Fraud Claims

The statement by the OAS mission came just a few hours after its representatives met with the opposition candidate to hear his concerns regarding the process.

The mission, the statement said, took note of his allegations adding that “for these to be clarified, they must be processed by the institutional channel and be attended by the competent authorities under the principles of legality, certainty and transparency.”

Ahead of the elections and on the day of the vote, Lasso and his campaign threatened to unleash unrest in case the government candidate Moreno secured a victory.

As CNE results began rolling out, his supporters gathered at the council’s headquarters in the capital Quito as he called the leftist victory fraud and accused the government of Rafael Correa of manipulating the results in favor of ally Moreno.

The high-profile mission slammed such attempts at violence. “Freedom of expression and demonstration are fundamental rights, but must always be given in a peaceful framework, avoiding violence and confrontation,” the OAS said.

Lenin Moreno will Walk alongside Ecuadoreans
worker | April 3, 2017 | 9:32 pm | Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, political struggle | Comments closed

Por Sinay Cespedes Moreno

Quito, Apr 3 (Prensa Latina) Singing the verses written by Antonio Machado, with music by Joan Manuel Serrat: ”Walker there is no path, you make the path as you go”, Ecuadorean President-elect Lenin Moreno promised before thousands of people to keep the path of the Citizen”s Revolution.

Ecuador’s Moreno claims victory in presidential election, rival demands recount
worker | April 2, 2017 | 9:25 pm | Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, political struggle | Comments closed

https://www.rt.com/news/383167-ecuador-elections-moreno-lasso/

Ecuador’s Moreno claims victory in presidential election, rival demands recount
Lenin Moreno, the candidate of the ruling Alianza País Party in Ecuador appears to have secured a win in the second round of presidential elections, barely beating his rival, the conservative Guillermo Lasso who thus far has refused to concede.

With over 94 percent of the votes counted, Moreno is in the lead with 51.07 percent compared to 48.93 percent gained by his opponent Lasso, the country’s election commission reported. While the winner has not yet been officially announced, the government says preliminary results are 99% accurate and “irreversible” according to outgoing President Rafael Correa, who already congratulated Moreno.

READ MORE: ‘Fate of all Latin America being decided at Ecuador election’

“The revolution has triumphed again in Ecuador,” Correa said on Twitter. “The right has lost, despite its millions and its media.”

“They’ve toyed with popular will,” Lasso said on Sunday night, demanding a recount as earlier exit polls were split and projected different winners, prompting both candidates to claim victory.

The 64-year old Moreno, who has been in a wheelchair since 1998, ran on a campaign which promised the South American country a boost in social benefits. The nominee for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize served as vice president of the country from 2007 to 2013, under President Rafael Correa.

It was Correa, serving his third presidential term, who had nominated Moreno to run for the Alianza País socialist political movement in Ecuador.

His opponent Lasso, a 61-year-old former head of Banco de Guayaquil who has campaigned on creating one million jobs in four years, argues that Moreno’s generous social promises risk plunging Ecuador’s economy further into debt.

The conservative has also promised to evict WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the nation’s London embassy.

While Moreno has declared victory in a close runoff, Lasso has called for a vote recount, claiming that he is the real winner of the election.

Moreno urged for unity as he addressed his cheering supporters in Quito: “From now on, let’s work for the country! All of us!”

In Ecuador, Lasso’s Campaign Caught Promising ‘Jobs’ for Votes
worker | March 31, 2017 | 7:17 pm | Analysis, Ecuador, Lenin Moreno | Comments closed

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/In-Ecuador-Lassos-Campaign-Caught-Promising-Jobs-for-Votes-20170330-0022.html

  • Ecuadorean presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso

    Ecuadorean presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso | Photo: EFE

TheWorldToday

“My fellow Ecuadoreans, why are we letting a banker humiliate us like this?” asked activist Ebi Camacho.

For weeks, Ecuador’s right-wing opposition has accused the government of foul play ahead of Sunday’s presidential election. Today, they were caught red-handed committing the same crimes they accuse the leftist government of doing.

RELATED:
Analyst: If Elected, Guillermo Lasso Will Destabilize Ecuador

Ecuadorean activist Ebi Camacho released a video Thursday showing presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso’s campaign workers offering “jobs” to Quito residents in exchange for vote pledges, which violates the country’s laws.

According to Article 204 of Ecuador’s Code of Democracy, “candidates and political organizations can not give donations or gifts to citizens.”

But it gets even worse. The so-called “jobs” that Lasso’s campaign was offering to Quito residents were a total lie. Camacho found thousands of completed “job” applications in trash cans near Lasso’s campaign headquarters.

“My fellow Ecuadoreans, why are we letting a banker humiliate us like this?” Camacho asked in the video.

“We (our government) have many tasks to complete, but it’s not worth seeing our dreams and hopes, in the form of thousands of names, in the garbage.”

This isn’t the first time Lasso’s campaign has come under fire for questionable, and possibly criminal, campaign tactics.

RELATED:
Lasso Wants Ecuador to Be Paramilitary State: Colombian Analyst

On Monday, his campaign was caught giving out free Lasso-branded basic food products to voters in a move that many have likened to vote-buying. If investigated, he can be charged with violating Article 204 as well.

Lasso campaigners gave the branded bread and milk to citizens in northern Quito, one of the city’s poorest areas. According to witnesses, people were told by supporters of Lasso’s CREO party to vote for the banker-turned-politician, while claiming that there will be fraud in the April 2 vote.

“We reject such practices. They undermine the values of democracy, participation and respect for people,” rival Alianza Pais presidential candidate Lenin Moreno said in a statement.

“We demand the CNE prohibit this type of practice and activate the respective control mechanisms, as mandated by the Code of Democracy.”

The banker has also been accused of helping to create Ecuador’s 1999 banking crisis, which left millions impoverished, forced millions to leave the country, while a few wealthy elite, including Lasso, got up to 30 times wealthier.