(Comments from Chris Temple following, which are his own) Too often we look at things in simple “left” vs. “right” terms. Yet in Ecuador, outgoing “leftist” ( a misnomer) President Rafael Correa has done a lot for his country; not because he’s a “leftist” but a principled, Christian leader who has struck a better balance between “socialism” and capital than most South American leaders of the recent past.
This–and his desire to keep Ecuador free from the grip of the U.S., banksters, etc. –has earned him the enmity of the U.S. foreign policy establishment and the C.I.A., among others. He has gone against the program of selling out his nation’s interests to globalization, choosing instead to maintain some independence for Ecuador. He has championed a more “home grown” regimen for the benefit of Central and South America, infamously seeking to keep the U.S.’ influence out of the region, in part pushing for CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) to replace the American-dominated OAS (Organization of American States.)
The article linked below is MUST reading if you want to know the whole story about the current electoral contest in Ecuador, in the full context of what I have just stated here.