Lucio Gutierrez

The measure effectively invalidates reforms pushed through by members of the governing coalition Dec. 8 that have sparked popular unrest in the capital, Quito, and other parts of the country.

Gutierrez declared a state of emergency in Quito on April 15 to quell the protests. Lifted the next day, it hardly removed the underlying cause of the unrest, an apparent bid by the governing party to manipulate the court to establish its control over the judiciary.

About 10,000 people took to the streets of Quito banging pots and pans and demanding Gutierrez's resignation, chanting, "Yes to democracy, no to dictatorship!" The protesters have been infuriated by the Supreme Court's decisions not to put on trial former Presidents Abdala Bucaram, who governed from 1996 to 1997, and Gustavo Noboa, who was in power from 2000 to 2003.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 23, 2005
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