Onetime popular president eyed a return to power. Ecuador voters had other ideas
In a demonstration of the sometimes fleeting nature of populist power and political alliances, Ecuadoreans overwhelming voted Sunday to limit presidents to two terms, ending the chances of a return to office by the onetime popular Rafael Correa.
The passage of the initiative put forward by President Lenin Moreno essentially ends the aspirations of his predecessor and former patron, ex-President Correa, who prodded the congress in December 2015 to legalize unlimited presidential runs, leaving open the possibility of a return to power.
But much has changed in Ecuador since Moreno succeeded Correa in May. Correa once commanded a large and devoted following but has fallen from grace, as have many populist leaders in Latin America. (Just last month former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption.)
In Ecuador, an economic crisis has deepened and Moreno blamed the huge debts taken on during Correa’s 10 years in office as the primary cause.
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-ecuador-president-20180204-story.html
