You tell them Lucio! Good luck Lucio! To twist Fuhrer Bush's words...Fidel,
Hugo, Lula and Lucio constitute an axis of good! VIVA LUCIO!!
Andrew
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
AP and Reuters. 15 January 2003. Ecuador's new president pledges war on
corruption as he takes office.
QUITO -- Lucio Gutierrez took office Wednesday as Ecuador's new president and
immediately issued a warning to the country's "corrupt oligarchy."
His followers in the Congress chanted "Lucio, Presidente" as he strapped on
the red, yellow and blue presidential sash and took the oath of office.
"Lucio Gutierrez will not govern for the left nor for the right. He will
govern for Ecuadoreans unhindered by the ideologies of the past," he said to
loud applause.
But he issued a warning that he will take strong steps against "the corrupt
oligarchy that has robbed our money, our dreams and the right of Ecuadoreans
to have dignified lives."
Later on Wednesday he will again pledge his loyalty -- but to the poor at a
local soccer stadium.
Gutierrez, 45, has pledged a war against corruption that most likely will
bring him into a confrontation with Ecuador's entrenched political elite.
He has labeled Ecuador's traditional parties and their leaders as corrupt and
said all of the country's former presidents should be in prison for their
responsibility in "the national disaster."
In a newspaper interview published Wednesday he reiterated his warning that
he will call massive street protests if the political establishment tries to
block his reforms.
In a fiery address Tuesday night before the Supreme Electoral Tribunal,
Gutierrez said he would found a new Ecuador based on "ethical values, moral
values ... with social justice" for the poor, including Ecuador's large
Indian population.
Seven Latin American presidents were among the guests at the inauguration
ceremony, including Cuba's Fidel Castro, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
On his arrival in Ecuador, Chavez referred to Gutierrez as "my comrade and
brother in arms."
In his campaign Gutierrez pledged to reduce the number of lawmakers,
eliminate the influence of political parties over the court system and
extradite corrupt bankers who made off with people's money when the banking
system collapsed in 1999.
He plans to call popular referendums to achieve his reforms.
"At some moment the country must change or if it doesn't I will convoke
marches," he said in an interview published Sunday in the daily HOY.
"We will not permit the mafia to destroy what we want to build."
Gutierrez appears to have strong backing among the poor.
"I am a product of the people's unsatisfied aspirations. People want change.
They said: 'enough of the same old leaders,"' Gutierrez said in an interview
with El Comercio newspaper.
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