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Leftist raises specter of fraud as Ecuador's presidential campaigns wrap up
By Patrick Moser
AFP
QUITO
Petroleumworld.com 11 24 06
Electoral campaigning drew to a close in Ecuador on Thursday, with the conservative hopeful raising the specter of civil war and his leftist rival talking of possible fraud in the run-off presidential election.
Billionaire conservative Alvaro Noboa insisted a victory by Rafael Correa would align Ecuador with communist Cuba, which could stir yet another uprising in the South American country, which has had seven presidents in the past 10 years.
"There would be civil war that would end in a coup," he told journalists in Guayaquil, Ecuador's second largest city.
Correa, for his part warned his rival might resort to fraud in Sunday's election, claiming the October 15 first round already was marred by such electoral wrongdoing.
He compared the situation to that in Mexico, where leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador charged that the presidential election was fraudulent, led massive protests and proclaimed himself parallel president.
"We will defend the popular triumph," Correa said at a news conference in Quito.
Asked whether he would recognize a Noboa victory, the former finance minister said he would do so if the voting is free and fair. Otherwise, he said, "we will protest in a peaceful manner; we cannot allow fraud."
The two candidates were essentially tied in a voter opinion poll conducted last week.
Correa was due to conclude his campaign at an open-air rally in Quito Thursday evening, while Noboa planned to hold his final rally in Guayaquil.
A Bible-thumping banana magnate, Noboa on Wednesday invoked the name of God as he urged voters to give him the presidency and prevent a victory by "the king of evil."
"I ask you, Ecuador, in the name of God, to vote for me," Noboa cried out, his arms raised to the Quito night sky, his face covered in sweat and his entire body shaking.
"I ask God, on my knees, that Ecuadorans should have jobs, homes, health and education, that you may live with God in your heart," he told several thousand cheering supporters.
Noboa repeatedly lashed out at Correa, warning the leftist candidate would drive the country to ruin if he won the election.
He hurled a litany of insults at his rival, claiming Correa is little more than a pawn used to fulfill the regional ambitions of Venezuela's firebrand President Hugo Chavez.
Correa, in turn, appealed to undecided voters to keep the South American nation from becoming the "estate" of Noboa, Ecuador's wealthiest man.
He defended his friendship with Chavez, and joked about US President George W. Bush's alleged business ties with the family of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
"Chavez is my friend. What's the problem with that? Bush is friends with the Osama bin Laden family," said Correa.
He also dismissed suggestions he would break off trade ties with the United States if elected, but reiterated that he would not renew the lease for a US military base in Ecuador when it runs out in 2009.
"We will seek just and mutually beneficial ties with the entire world, including the United States," he said.
Correa, who has called Bush a "dimwit," stressed that US voters had clearly expressed their view of the US president's "mistakes," particularly in Iraq, in this month's legislative elections, which saw opposition Democrats win control of the US Congress.
"We, too, have the right to express our opinion," he said.
Correa reiterated his intention to review private contracts in the oil sector and renegotiate Ecuador's foreign debt.
The economist insisted that, if elected, he would not go back on the 2000 adoption of the US dollar as the national currency, but said he hoped a regional currency would eventually be adopted by South American countries.
AFP 23 2311 GMT 11 06
Copyright© 2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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