Indigenous Leader Named Ecuador’s ambassador to Bolivia

Quito, Aug 5 (Prensa Latina) Ricardo Ulcuango, an indigenous leader of the Cochapamba community in the city of Cayambe, was appointed Ecuador’s ambassador to Bolivia, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Ulcuango highlighted the government’s decision to appoint him ambassador in La Paz, considering that the Constitution recognizes the Multinational State, and therefore it is important to involve all sectors of society, including indigenous and African descendants.

Correa: Sentence Penalizes Freedom of Extortion, not of Expression

Quito, Jul 26 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said that the prison sentences to the ex chief of the daily “Opinion” and the executives of “El Universo” daily are a historical landmark, which penalize the freedom of extortion, but not the freedom of expression.

Poverty, Inequity Continue to Decrease in Ecuador

Quito, Jul 16 (Prensa Latina) Poverty continues to decrease in Ecuador as a result of an economic recovery from the crises of recent years, said Rene Ramirez, head of the National Secretariat for Planning and Development.

Poverty has considerably declined in the country, from 22.91 percent in 2010 to 19.27 percent this year, stated Ramirez, who called it very good news for Ecuadorians.

Correa Presides over Expanded Cabinet Meeting

Quito, Jul 14 (Prensa Latina) President Rafael Correa on Thursday will preside over his first expanded cabinet meeting, which will include representatives of 21 social organizations that supported the reforms approved by a referendum in May.

Brazilian Foreing Minister to Visit Quito

Quito, Jul 13 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian Foreign Minister, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, will arrive in Quito on Friday, 15, in response to an invitation from Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño.

Quito to Host Meeting on Control of Chemical Substances

Quito, Jul 10 (Prensa Latina) Experts from 34 nations will meet in this capital on Monday to consider the control of chemical substances and pharmaceutical products, announced the organizers of the meeting.

Correa, Humala Meet at Presidential Palace

Quito, (Prensa Latina) The Peruvian President-elect Ollanta Humala was received Tuesday afternoon at the presidential palace by President Rafael Correa to start a dialogue on bilateral issues.

Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia were greeted by Peruvians living in Ecuador, who wished him success in his administration, due to start on July 28, 2011.

Humala Visits Ecuador, Promotes Closer Relations

Quito, Jun 28 (Prensa Latina) Peruvian President-elect Ollanta Humala began a short but busy visit to Ecuador on Tuesday to discuss closer bilateral relations.

Humala will be received by President Rafael Correa at the Presidential Palace, and Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas and Ecuadorian Ambassador Diego Ribadeneira will attend the meeting.

Petroecuador and PDVSA Increase Collaboration

Quito, Jun 23 (Prensa Latina) The general manager of Petroecuador Marco Calvopiña said that new areas of collaboration between state oil companies of Ecuador and Venezuela seek to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood.

Humala, Correa to Meet in Quito Next Week

Quito, Jun 23 (Prensa Latina) President-elect of Peru, Ollanta Humala, and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa will hold their first meeting on June 28, an official source said.
According public news agency Andes, Humala is scheduled to arrive in Quito at 13:00 local time that day and meet immediately with Correa in a work lunch “on an open agenda” at Carondelet Palace.

Ecuador Plans Multi-million USD Investments

Quito, Jun 22 (Prensa Latina) Ecuador expects to receive this year about 542 million USD in investments from private companies, of which 280 million USD will be targeted for telecommunications and 262 million USD for productive sectors, an official source reported.

Ecuadorian Gov’t Nationalizes U.S. Oil Company

Quito,  (Prensa Latina) President Rafael Correa described as historic the nationalization of the Amistad oilfield, after intense negotiations with the U.S. Noble Energy Company, whose affiliate, the Energy Development Corp., was the operator.

Ecuador, Venezuela Have 82 Transactions with Sucre

Quito,  (Prensa Latina) The chairman of the Central Bank of Ecuador, Diego Borja, announced Tuesday that Ecuador and Venezuela have 82 ongoing transactions through the Unified System for Regional Compensation (Sucre) used as virtual currency for commercial exchanges.

Correa Rejects U.S. Sanctions on Venezuelan PDVSA

Quito, (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa rejected the sanctions imposed by the United States on Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) for its relationship with Iran, which he considered equivalent to punishing the South American nation.

Ecuador Denies President Had Contacts with FARC

Quito, May 19 (Prensa Latina) The Ecuadorian government dismissed as untrue a report by the British Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSS) that Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa had contacts with the Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).

Ecuadorian Referendum Vote Envisions New Challenges

Quito, May 17 (Prensa Latina) With 95 percent of votes already counted until Tuesday, the results of the referendum show a clear victory of the “Yes” votes, despite the maneuvers of the opposition for not recognizing this. The proposed laws will be implemented, but not without challenges, .

Ecuadorian Referendum Vote Count in Final Stage

Quito, May 16 (Prensa Latina) The vote count for the May 7 referendum in Ecuador enters the final stretch on Monday, and the lead was growing for the “Yes” vote on all 10 questions, as predicted by President Rafael Correa.

The official results of the referendum should be ready by Tuesday, given that the vote count may not last more than 10 days after the election, according to Article 132 of the Democracy Code, except if numerical inconsistencies are found in one of the provinces.

Correa: Parliament is Obliged to Arrange Laws

Quito, May 13 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa recalled the National Assembly that, once vote counting and popular consultation have concluded, is required to comply with laws that are derived from the mandate of popular will.

Correa Reiterates Referendum Victory

Quito, May 12 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa reiterated that the “Yes” vote had won on all 10 questions of the national referendum, despite a campaign by “all opposition sectors united against us, as well as the corrupt press.”

The statesman made a numerical analysis of projections with 64.35 percent of the vote counted, and according to his estimates, the “Yes” vote should win by a minimum margin of 200,000 votes and a maximum of 800,000.

Correa Criticizes Attempts to Delay Referendum Vote Count

Quito, May 11 (Prensa Latina) Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa accused opposition groups of manipulation to delay the referendum vote count in provinces where the “Yes” vote had more support.

The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Omar Simon, traveled on Monday night to Guayaquil to “bring order” to the vote count in that province, where a clear intention exists to delay the process, he said.

Vote Counting in Ecuador Favorable to Referendum

Quito, May 9 (Prensa Latina) Having counted 37 percent of the votes on the plebiscite held Saturday in Ecuador, the Yes maintains its advantage over the No, though the margin of difference has reduced.

Until 21:00 local time Sunday, the National Election Council (CNE) had processed 10,930 reports in a total of 29,688 polling stations, corroborating a moderate advantage of the Yes to the nine questions of the referendum.

Ecuador Electoral Council Confirms Referendum Victory

Quito, May 8 (Prensa Latina) National Electoral Council (CNE) president Omar Simon confirmed that the “Yes” vote had won Saturday”s 10-question referendum, according to a single sample report whose results he described as solid but unofficial.

Simon said that the official results will be announced in the coming week, but that sample had a margin of error of plus or minus 0.5 percent, with the “Yes” vote a majority.

Ecuador Referendum Underway as Celebration of Democracy

Quito, May 7 (Prensa Latina) With a ceremony in the National Electoral Council at 06:37 local time, a national referendum began in which 11.2 million Ecuadorians will cast their votes on 10 questions regarding judicial reform.

Ecuador in Reflection Prior to Plebiscite

Quito, May 5 (Prensa Latina) Ecuador began 48 hours of silence in the advertising campaigns for the popular consultation next Saturday, to allow the population to meditate its vote on 10 questions included in the plebiscite.

Observers from 16 Countries at Ecuador Referendum

Quito, May 4 (Prensa Latina) About 45 guests from 16 countries and international organizations, as well as special guests from Latin America, will observe the referendum in Ecuador on Saturday, said Carlos Cortez, vice president of the National Election Council (CNE).

Delegates from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela, and several organizations will participate as observers.