{ "id": "R44294", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44294", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 585113, "date": "2018-02-13", "retrieved": "2018-09-13T22:38:45.272518", "title": "Ecuador: In Brief", "summary": "Ecuador is a small, oil-producing country of 16 million inhabitants located on the west coast of South America between Colombia and Peru. In 2017, Ecuador was considered to have the third-largest proven reserves of crude oil in South America, with 8.3 billion barrels. It is the smallest member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Petroleum is Ecuador\u2019s largest export to the United States, the country\u2019s top trade partner. With the reduction in crude oil price since 2014, Ecuador\u2019s earnings have fallen after years of strong growth.\nFormer President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), a leftist populist leader, was elected and reelected over a decade, bringing stability to Ecuador. In 2015, his popularity began to decline; he dropped in the polls to a 35% approval level by the middle of 2016. A recession brought on by low oil prices had diminished government revenues, and President Correa had adopted many unpopular budget-tightening measures. Protests from diverse groups\u2014indigenous people, trade unionists, environmentalists, and critics from the right and center-right\u2014became more frequent. Correa\u2019s critics accused him of constraining freedom of assembly and association, stifling freedom of the press and expression, and restricting independence of the judiciary. \nOn April 2, 2017, presidential candidate Len\u00edn Voltaire Moreno of the Alianza Pa\u00eds (AP) party narrowly won a runoff election in Ecuador, with a margin of slightly more than 2% of the vote. The 2017 election was the first in a decade in which Rafael Correa did not run for president. His two former vice presidents both ran on the same ticket: Moreno, who served six years as Correa\u2019s vice president, was at the top of the ticket, and Jorge Glas, Correa\u2019s most recent vice president, left the Correa Administration in 2016 to become Moreno\u2019s vice presidential running mate. Once in office, Vice President Glas remained close to Correa, whereas President Morena moved quickly to adopt a more moderate and conciliatory position and shifted away from Correa\u2019s abrasive style. In October 2017, President Moreno suspended Glas from the vice presidency due to accusations of \u201cillicit association\u201d with the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. In December 2017, Glas was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison for taking more than $13 million in bribes from Odebrecht executives. Out of office for 90 days, Glas was impeached in January 2018 and replaced by acting Vice President Maria Alejandro Vicu\u00f1a, who is close to Moreno. \nCorrea\u2019s party, the AP, had retained a majority in the February 2017 legislative elections but split as Moreno was accused of being a traitor and of undermining Correa\u2019s reform approach, which he called the \u201cCitizens\u2019 Revolution.\u201d Many observers thought that Correa planned to return in 2021 to be easily reelected. Correa had pushed through legislation in the National Assembly allowing for indefinite reelection, and many assumed he would avail himself of this option after his former vice presidents served a term as caretakers. However, President Moreno set a public referendum for February 4, 2018, to limit the presidency to two terms, among other measures. The referendum was approved by a large margin, thus consolidating Moreno\u2019s control and making Correa\u2019s return to power unlikely.\nUnder Correa, relations between Ecuador and the United States were strained, but the two countries maintained close economic ties. Following a period of currency turmoil, Ecuador adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency in 2000. Ecuador receives significant remittances from Ecuadorans living in the United States and abroad. Ecuador also has become a popular destination for U.S. tourists and retirees. \nThis report examines the political and economic conditions in Ecuador and U.S.-Ecuadorian relations.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44294", "sha1": "8aadebe315a953ed4af3e89b32a3c1996a58afe6", "filename": "files/20180213_R44294_8aadebe315a953ed4af3e89b32a3c1996a58afe6.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44294_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180213_R44294_images_4630b14c6ad9fff12345daa12c8877f550db7e83.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44294_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180213_R44294_images_db2b8c80bec64b31244f8729e5a7c3a8d26f9569.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44294", "sha1": "d18843dfeb8f95417dc7d9abb8ddfbec1da7ce02", "filename": "files/20180213_R44294_d18843dfeb8f95417dc7d9abb8ddfbec1da7ce02.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 454263, "date": "2016-07-13", "retrieved": "2016-10-17T19:45:13.182267", "title": "Ecuador: In Brief", "summary": "Ecuador is a small, oil-producing country of about 16 million inhabitants located on the west coast of South America between Colombia and Peru. President Rafael Correa was first elected in 2006 and has since won two elections following the 2008 rewrite of Ecuador\u2019s constitution. Correa took office after a very unstable decade in Ecuadorian politics when no elected president finished his term. He has enjoyed sustained high levels of popular support for most of his administration, a degree of stability unparalleled in recent times. In November 2015, he indicated he would not run for reelection in 2017, leading some to speculate if, or how, Correa might continue to influence Ecuadorian politics in the future as a popular former president. To the surprise of some, President Correa\u2019s once-large base of support declined in 2016, and his approval rating fell to 35% for the first time in May 2016.\nIn mid-April 2016, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador in the northwest region near the province of Manab\u00ed, killing 651 people and leaving thousands homeless and displaced. The April earthquake was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, some of them severe. Two earthquakes hit near the same part of the coast on July 10, 2016; the stronger of the two registered 6.3 on the Richter scale. Although the government reported no deaths, President Correa renewed states of emergencies in Manab\u00ed and Esmeralda Provinces (the latter borders Colombia). Several U.S. Members of Congress have called for a temporary protected status (TPS) for Ecuadorian citizens in the United States from the earthquake-affected region.\nPresident Correa has described his effort to remake the politics of Ecuador as a \u201cCitizens\u2019 Revolution\u201d and placed it in the tradition of \u201c21st century socialism\u201d personified by populist leaders of nearby Andean region countries, Venezuela and Bolivia. Ecuador has effectively fought poverty with ambitious social programs and investments in infrastructure and seen strong growth, averaging 4% annually. However, the country\u2019s economy barely avoided contraction, with only 0.3% growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 as a result of the dramatic drop in oil prices. In 2016, most analysts forecast that Ecuador\u2019s economy will contract between 2% and 4%. Petroleum is the country\u2019s largest export, comprising more than half of total exports and about two-fifths of public-sector revenues. Ecuador is the smallest member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and petroleum is its largest export to the United States, the country\u2019s top trade partner.\nWith the slump in oil prices and budget-tightening measures to compensate, the Correa government has been hit with growing protests from a diverse set of domestic actors: indigenous people, trade unionists, environmentalists, and critics from the right and center-right. The president\u2019s critics also maintain that he has constrained freedom of assembly and association, stifled freedom of the press and expression, and politicized the judiciary while centralizing power in the executive branch. \nUnder left-leaning Correa, relations between Ecuador and the United States have been strained. President Correa has been critical of undue U.S. influence or \u201cimperialism\u201d in the region. Yet, Ecuador has maintained close economic relations with the United States. Following a period of economic turmoil, Ecuador adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency in 2000. Ecuador receives significant remittances from Ecuadorians living in the United States and abroad. Ecuador has also become a popular place for U.S. tourists and retirees. \nThis report will briefly examine the political and economic conditions in Ecuador and U.S.-Ecuadorian relations.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44294", "sha1": "222c17a1012cb7a31ca6db9772045b9662076cc6", "filename": "files/20160713_R44294_222c17a1012cb7a31ca6db9772045b9662076cc6.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44294", "sha1": "5924cc57d80f30226dc996c0496a5ba4e36dd6c4", "filename": "files/20160713_R44294_5924cc57d80f30226dc996c0496a5ba4e36dd6c4.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 447716, "date": "2015-11-30", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T17:51:02.452076", "title": "Ecuador: In Brief", "summary": "Ecuador is a small oil-producing country of about 16 million inhabitants located on the west coast of South America between Colombia and Peru. President Rafael Correa was first elected in 2006 and has since stood for and won two elections following the 2008 rewrite of Ecuador\u2019s constitution. Correa took office after a very unstable decade in Ecuadorian politics when no elected president finished his term, and has received sustained high levels of popular support for his administration unparalleled in recent times. In November 2015, he indicated he would not run for reelection in 2017, leading some to speculate if, or how, as a popular former president Correa might continue to influence Ecuadorian politics in the future.\nPresident Correa has described his effort to remake the politics of Ecuador as a \u201cCitizens\u2019 Revolution\u201d and placed it in the tradition of \u201c21st century socialism\u201d personified by populist leaders of nearby Andean region countries, Venezuela and Bolivia. Ecuador has effectively fought poverty with ambitious social programs and investments in infrastructure and seen strong growth averaging 4% annually. However, the government has lowered its 2015 gross domestic product (GDP) growth estimate to below 1% because of the recent drop in oil prices, while some analysts forecast that the economy will contract this year. Petroleum is the country\u2019s largest export, comprising more than half of total exports. Ecuador is OPEC\u2019s smallest member, and petroleum is its largest export to the United States, the country\u2019s top trade partner.\nWith the slump in oil prices and budget-tightening measures to compensate, the Correa government has been hit with growing protests from a diverse set of domestic actors: indigenous people, trade unionists, environmentalists, and critics from the right and center-right. The President\u2019s critics also maintain that he has constrained freedom of assembly and association, stifled freedom of the press and expression, and politicized the judiciary while centralizing power in the executive branch. \nUnder left-leaning Correa, relations between Ecuador and the United States have been strained. President Correa has been critical of undue U.S. influence or \u201cimperialism\u201d in the region. Yet, Ecuador has maintained close economic relations with the United States. Following a period of economic turmoil, Ecuador adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency in 2000. Ecuador receives significant remittances from Ecuadorians living in the United States and abroad. Ecuador has also become a popular place for U.S. tourists and retirees. \nThis report will briefly examine the political and economic conditions in Ecuador and U.S.-Ecuadorian relations.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44294", "sha1": "c42de9194aa63d06727b6a45fa1f9b4a8d8c3c06", "filename": "files/20151130_R44294_c42de9194aa63d06727b6a45fa1f9b4a8d8c3c06.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44294", "sha1": "cb29c833b7193fd6eea6d69c3488e82870e9b295", "filename": "files/20151130_R44294_cb29c833b7193fd6eea6d69c3488e82870e9b295.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Foreign Affairs", "Latin American Affairs" ] }