EspañolFormer President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, announced that he is leaving the Alianza País (AP) party he founded in 2006, after the Electoral Contentious Court (TCE) determined that President Lenín Moreno is the rightful leader of the governing party.
Correa had previously announced that if he did not regain his previous role as leader of the political organization and prevail over his political ally turned rival, he would withdraw from the AP and form another political party, since he is unwilling to participate in what he considers to be the destruction of the citizen’s revolution.
Correa will announce the creation of the new party under the slogan “Today a new movement is born”, this campaign will launch in the town of Babahoyo, in the province of Los Ríos, according to the newspaper El Nuevo Herald.
The leadership dispute within the AP movement came when in October of last year (2017) members of Alianza País (AP) tried to remove Moreno from his position as top party leader; however, the National Electoral Council ignored the decision, alleging that it was not made with sufficient members present from the movement.
On Tuesday, January 16, the TCE rejected an appeal by the Assemblywoman Gabriela Rivadeneira, against their current leadership under Moreno, which is why both Rivadeneira and Correa decided to leave the party.
A 11 años del inicio de la #RevoluciónCiudadana, partidocracia celebra el “gran logro" de Moreno: proscribir al auténtico @35PAIS y entregarle el casillero a los antagonistas históricos de nuestro proyecto. Podrán usurpar un nombre pero jamás se apropiarán del cariño de un pueblo
— Gabriela Rivadeneira (@GabrielaEsPais) January 16, 2018
11 years after the beginning of the #CitizensRevolution the party is celerating Moreno’s “great victory” to banish the authintic @35PAIS and to deliver its leadership to our project’s historic enemies. They might have taken our name, but they will never earn the support of the people.
Compañeros queridos, nunca olviden estos nombres, de una supuesta “comisión de ética”, que dio sustento a un “litigio interno” para que el TCE haga lo que le de la gana, y nos roben AP:
Mery Verduga.
Mónica Guevara.
José Tenesaca.
Todo fue ilegal, y ellos lo saben…— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) January 16, 2018
My dear friends, never forget the names of these from the supposed “ethics commission” which lead to an internal litigation allowing the TCE to do as they please and robbing the AP party from us.
Mery Verduga.
Mónica Guevara.
José Tenesaca.
The whole process was illegal and they know it
The former head of state has declared himself the “primary opponent” of his successor, and is currently in Ecuador on a tour of the country, campaigning against the Popular Consultation promoted by his successor Lenin Moreno.
Correa had already warned that he would arrive in Ecuador with the intention of “burning the soles of the shoes” by going all over the country and “fighting” by promoting a vote against proposals 2 (indefinite re-election), 3 (Participation Councils), and 6 (metal mining).
However, according to Correa himself, his main focus will be addressed in question three, which asks the people if they want to amend the Constitution to restructure the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control and thus “terminate the constitutional reign of its current members and assure that the new board that assumes their functions has the power to evaluate the performance of the authorities whose designation corresponds to it, being able, if it is the case, to anticipate the termination of their tenure”.
He has made it clear that although he is against the Popular Consultation and especially questions 2, 3 and 6, his main concern is article 3, as be feels that a majority voting “yes” would mean that “that democracy will come to an end”.