by the El Reportero’s news service
Rafael Correa
President Rafael Correa recorded a comfortable win in Ecuador’s presidential elections on April 26. No candidate had won in the first round since the return to democracy in 1979. While he won a firm endorsement, however, the victory was not as crushing as opinion polls had indicated. His main rival, Lucio Gutiérrez, performed twice as well as expected.
Traditional parties, dubbed the “partidocracy” by Correa, also staged a comeback in the congressional elections, although the painstakingly slow count makes it difficult to divine whether he will fall short of a majority in the 124-seat congress. This is very important because while the elections were not fought on economic issues, the post-electoral debate will be.
Panama opposition leads elections
Extra-offi cial information suggests Monday the triumph of Ricardo Martinelli, of the opposition Alliance for Change party, in the Panamanian presidential elections, with 60.3 percent of votes and 91.3 percent of ballots counted. Figures from the Electoral Court show early Monday that after evaluating 89.4 percent of polling stations, the businessperson had 873,244 votes in his favor.
Following Martinelli is Balbina Herrera, of the Democratic Revolutionary Movement, with 37.3 percent (540,543 votes), and Guillermo Endara, of the Homeland Moral Vanguard party with 34,231 votes.
The information also stated that of the number of votes reported, 1.13 percent were blank and 1.84 null.
Martinelli’s victory will be decided once the National Vote Counting Boards evaluate the country’s 39 electoral constituencies, which could happen Wednesday, May 6.
Venezuela’s Chávez courts Iran as US shows concern
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez met with a delegation from Iran last week to prepare for an upcoming visit from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — an alliance that has provoked concern in Washington.
Venezuela’s ambassador to Iran, David Velásquez, said following the meeting that Ahmadinejad’s visit will deepen ties between the countries and “allow us to move ahead in the transfer of technology and industry,” according to Venezuela’s state-run Bolivarian News Agency.
Latin America’s leftist leaders have in recent years strengthened relations with countries including China and Iran — inroads that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday termed “quite disturbing.”
“They are building very strong economic and political connections with a lot of these leaders. I don’t think that’s in our interest,” Clinton said.
She said President Barack Obama’s administration aims to improve deteriorating relations with Latin American nations including Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela to counter the growing infl uence of China, Iran and Russia in the region.
