· April, 2009

Stories about Ecuador from April, 2009

Ecuador: President Correa Wins Reelection

  29 April 2009

With the majority of votes counted, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa appears to be headed towards re-election without the necessity of a run-off. His party, PAIS Alliance, also captured the majority of seats in the National Assembly giving it increased power in the country. However, there are a lot of still unresolved problems facing the nation, and Correa hopes his "21st Century Socialism" will help address these issues.

Ecuador: Reminiscing About Guayaquil

  28 April 2009

Raul Farias of Al Lado del Camino [es] takes some friends on a tour of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador and reminisces about his days as a child in the neighborhood of Las Peñas.

Ecuador: The Departure of a Television Anchor

  25 April 2009

In the middle of a tense election season in Ecuador and with the general elections scheduled for April 26, a popular television journalist was fired by the Ecuavisa [es] station. The decision to fire Carlos Vera has opened the debate whether journalist can indeed by partisan and favor one side...

Ecuador: Social Web Conference in Quito

  21 April 2009

A conference called “Setting and Culture of the Social Web + 10 Suggestions for the Media that Wants to Change” was held in Quito, Ecuador with the participation of many well-known actors in the field writes Abelsuing [es].

Colombia: Transfer of US Military Base from Ecuador

  20 April 2009

The US military base currently located in Manta, Ecuador is being transferred to Colombia. “This is a violation of national sovereignty with the aim to maintain a certain level of privileged relationship with the government of the United States,” writes Colombia Hoy [es].

Ecuador: Handing Out Gifts During Signature Drive

  14 April 2009

In the Chillogallo neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, Andrés Rodríguez of Modestamente Humano [es] has photos of workers supporting the campaign of Alvaro Noboa handing out bags of oats to “supporters” during a signature drive.

Ecuador: Creation of New Social Security Bank

  13 April 2009

With the social security system in need of serious reform in Ecuador due to past corruption and confusing language in employee and employer responsibilities, President Rafael Correa is backing a plan to create a new Affiliates Bank. This new entity will have more oversight by the central government, but place control in the hands of 5 individuals, re-opening worries that there might be potential for some of the previous problems that plagued the funds.

Argentina: Mi* Platform for Budding Spanish Speaking Citizen Journalists

  13 April 2009

From Argentina, the Mi * (asterisk) citizen journalism website has sprouted up, with the intention of becoming the platform for budding Spanish speaking citizen journalists to post their work and receive comments, discuss topics, receive training and share content. So far citizen journalism workshops have been given in Argentina, Ecuador and Dominican Republic, and citizens from these and other countries have been participating on the site.