ECUADOR: PRESIDENT LUCIO GUTIERREZ ASSESSES 100 DAYS IN OFFICE.
Ecuadoran President Lucio Gutierrez's first 100 days in office have been rocky on several fronts. Despite success in signing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he has come under increasing criticism from indigenous and civic groups for neglecting social problems, and charges of corruption have cost the administration several high- ranking officials. Gutierrez's popularity has dropped from over 60% when he took office to less than 50% now.
Gutierrez said on April 15 that, after three months in office, he had made significant advances on the economic front. He said his next priority would be creating new jobs. He listed the IMF agreement as an important achievement.
"The country had many urgent needs, which I had to prioritize. The first was the economic," said Gutierrez, adding that one part of his response to that urgency was reaching the deal with the IMF "in record time for Ecuador and Latin America." On March 21, the IMF approved a standby loan for US$205 million in a 13-month program, of which Ecuador has received US$30 million (see NotiSur, 2003-03-07).
However, the deal called for stiff adjustment measures, and the resulting public anger and frequent protests demanding financial resources collided with Gutierrez's commitment with the IMF for rigid fiscal discipline. The deal also brought increasing disagreements between the president and his ally, the Movimiento de Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik (MUPP), whose leaders have raised frequent objections to the adjustments already made by Gutierrez and others expected soon.
Gutierrez said his next priority is jobs, and he is launching a massive housing construction program called Pueblos Productivos Integrados. After that, Gutierrez said he would concentrate on political reform.
Workers demand government attention
In March public-health workers and prison workers both staged protests in Quito demanding that the president pay attention to their economic demands. The health workers were calling for an increase in spending on public health, which is programmed this year at US$370 million. Patricio Alban, head of the public-health workers, said the sector needs at least US$582 million. He said the sector lacks the resources to combat dengue, which is reaching epidemic proportions in coastal areas, as well as money to buy vaccines and to repair rundown hospitals.
Prison workers were demanding that the Ministry of Economy and Finance pay US$850,000 that it owes the prison...
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