Lucio Gutierrez, the President of Ecuador, has been ousted. Vice President Alfredo Palacio Gonzalez has been sworn in. Just got word via Publius Pundit.
Here’s what the wires are saying:
AP: “Ecuador’s Congress Votes to Remove Embattled President From Power After Week of Protests.”
MSNBC: “Ecuador�s Congress fires president; Vice president named to replace embattled Gutierrez”
Reuters: “Ecuador’s Congress fires President Gutierrez.”
Bloomberg.com: “Ecuador’s President Gutierrez Ousted Amid Protests.”
And here’s the text of Publius Pundit’s post:
“Congress voted to remove President Lucio Gutierrez from power today, and swore in his vice president, Alfredo Palacio Gonzalez, a St. Louis cardiologist, as his successor. The legislature acted after 50,000 people filled the streets of Quito and fought troops and police in pitched battles. A Chilean photographer was killed and more than 180 were injured.
…
Congress was emboldened to make the move after the police chief of Quito suddenly resigned, saying he was unwilling to fire on demonstators. Gutierrez prompted the protests against his two-year old government by stacking the Supreme Court with his political cronies. These cronies were responsible for dropping corruption charges against another friend of Gutierrez�s, former President Abdala �El Loco� Bucaram, who said he was �older and crazier than ever� and announced plans to return to Ecuador after eight yeas� exile, to become the next Hugo Chavez. That prompted widespread demonstrations in the streets for the past six days.”
I’ve sent a note to my buddy Mike F., who lives in Cuenca, to get an on-the-ground assessment. I’ll continue to monitor the coverage; my thoughts are with the people of Ecuador, where I spent 2003 teaching English. Stay tuned…