Cablegate: Media Reaction Removal of Ecuadorean President,

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000845

SIPDIS

INFO WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
INFO EMBASSY QUITO

STATE FOR WHA/PD, WHA/AND, AND WHA/CEN
STATE FOR DRL/PHD, INR, AND IIP/G/WHA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KPAO PHUM PREL KDEM EC HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REMOVAL OF ECUADOREAN PRESIDENT,
APRIL 21, 2005

1. On 4/21, the Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna"
published an editorial entitled "The Bed:"

"There are no more `coup d'etats' in Latin America. Popular
discontent begins with protests and demonstrations, a
political crisis is produced, the country becomes
ungovernable, and from that point it is only matter of
finding the best way out.

They force the president to resign, sending a military
delegation or a delegation of important people to convince
him of the inevitable, and the Congress calls for an
emergency meeting to swear in the next in line.

The OAS meets urgently to issue an announcement that calls
for a peaceful and constitutional solution.

It happened again in Ecuador. This time is was Lucio
Gutierrez's turn. It so happens that in his 26 months of
governance, he gave sufficient reasons to motivate the
uprising revolt. In order to remove Gutierrez, the people
initiated the removal of the president of Congress in order
to make possible the legislative decision. Afterwards
Gutierrez had no choice but to look for a country to give
him political asylum. But sometimes we wonder why Honduras
has three vice presidents instead of only one? Because, the
vice president only serves for making the bed of the
president."

Pierce

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