Sunday, September 28, 2008

New consitution for Ecuador??

It appears that the answer to the above question is yes. Polls on the mainland (not including Galapagos) closed two hours ago, and exit polls show 2 out of 3 Ecuadorians supporting the proposed constitution. In Ecuador, voting is an obligatory civic duty, though "null" is an option, along with "NO" and "SI".
The current version of the Constitution was approved in 1998.
The new proposed Constitution is the idea and project of President Rafael Correa and members of his Constitutional Assembly. Greatest opposition for the proposed constitution comes from Guayaquil, the country's largest city, which lies on the coast. One fear of the opponents is that power will be centralized in the federal government, and that local governments will have less autonomy.
Other changes in the new Constitution:
> no foreign military bases will be allowed in the country (there is currently a US air base in Manta, the only one in South America)
> allows reelection of the President
> the Episcopal and Catholic churches consider that certain parts "open the door to abortion"
> free education (up to university level)
Correa fears the likely bitter opposition he will face from Guayaquil residents. He said that if he lost he would resign, but it looks like this will not be happening.

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