Ecuador reaches turning point as feisty President Rafael Correa prepares to hand power to successor
Correa’s time in office has been marked by his abrasive personality, having openly criticised his opponents and the media, which he branded as “corrupt” and “lying”
One of the feistiest personalities in Latin American politics, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa hands power today to his quieter ally Lenin Moreno, who is tasked with steering a leftist political flagship through troubled economic waters.
President for 10 years, Correa, 54, is one of a generation of colourful leftist leaders who governed the mineral-rich region over recent decades.
But unlike his allies in Brazil, Argentina and Peru, his side managed to win re-election this year. His successor Moreno, 64, will be sworn in by congress today.
“He is willing to be less confrontational and to have a softer approach as president to the opposition and the media,” said Farith Simon, an analyst at San Francisco University in Quito. “He will not change political course but will change the style of government.”
Correa’s time in office has been marked by his abrasive personality. He openly criticised his opponents and the media, which he branded as “corrupt” and “lying”.
In the last of his weekly presidential progress reports on Saturday, he ripped up a newspaper live on air. He said he had a “lump in his throat” in sadness at leaving office after 10 years. Ecuador