Ecuador dismisses Supreme Court

[emad]

BBC
Ecuador's Congress has voted to dismiss the entire 31-member Supreme Court in a controversial decision bitterly contested by the opposition.

The move came in a session called by President Lucio Gutierrez, who said the court had become too politicised.

He said the appointment of new judges would make the country's highest court fairer and more representative.

However, opposition parties described the decision as dictatorial and unconstitutional.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4082521.stm

[jmcgowanjm]

1. In 1997 populist demagogue Abdala Bucaram overthrown by general strike

Segarra: "Uncivil Society: The Governability Crisis in Ecuador"

Between 1997 and 2000, Ecuador had five presidents.
President Abdala Bucaram (1996-97) was deposed by a
nation wide social mobilization that pressured congress
to impeach Bucaram through a constitutional process.
Three years later, President Jamil Mahuad was overthrown by
a short-lived coup organized by Ecuador's indigenous
movement and junior military officers. In this case
social movements chose not to work through the formal
political system, but to express their frustration by
attacking Ecuador's democratic regime. Although Ecuador's
civil society has become increasingly organized and
diversified since the return to democracy in 1979, it appears
that social mobilization has contributed to a loss of
governability rather than to strengthening democracy.

www.columbia.edu/cu/ilas/events/month/october01.html

Theory-Labor can only exercise Veto power.
It cannot organize lasting rule such as a Warrior,
Priest, or Acquisitor.

Clinton's planned intervention in Colombia comes right after
a rebellion by Indians in Ecuador overthrew the president of
that country. The Indians were protesting economic policies
of the president that opened up the country to IMF policies.
The president wanted to tie the value of Ecuador's
currency directly to the U.S. dollar. This would have meant
a severe devaluation of Ecuadoran currency, with the result
that savings held by the Ecuadoran masses would be
practically worthless. The Indians rose up in January,
blocked roads, invaded the capital of Quito and surrounded
the presidential palace. The Indians were working in
alliance with the Ecuadoran army, which also opposed
the president. But after the president fled the country, the
army took over and installed the vice-president in his place.
And the vice-president promptly announced that he would
carry out the same "dollarization" plans as his predecessor.
With the army and the U.S. backing the new president,
the Indians were stymied and had to call off their protests.
They returned to their rural homes but promised to make
things more difficult for the government next time
around.

http://home.flash.net/~comvoice/24cColombia.html

[Judi Lynn]

2. It would be good to know more about this.

Couldn't find much more on it. It really is interesting. It would appear that reforms in justice systems are happening throughout Latin America. Only found two articles which have any connection:

LATIN AMERICA:
Secrecy of Justice System Hurts Democracy

Daniela Estrada


SANTIAGO, Dec 9 (IPS) - In order to eliminate the culture of secrecy in Latin America’s judicial systems, which threatens democracy, comprehensive policies are needed to facilitate access to public information, according to a recent study by an OAS institution and an autonomous intergovernmental body.

The report, which carries out an in-depth study of the situation in Argentina, Peru and Chile, recommends continued reforms of the justice system, passage of laws on access to public information, specific training for judicial system employees and officials, and measures to make judicial language more accessible to the public.

"The culture of secrecy in our societies is bad for democracy," said Eduardo Bertoni, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights special rapporteur on freedom of expression.

The study, presented Nov. 30 at a seminar in Santiago, forms part of a project by Bertoni's office and the Justice Studies Centre of the Americas (JSCA), an autonomous intergovernmental organisation. It was financed by the Human Rights and Citizenship programme of the Ford Foundation's office for the Andean Region and the Southern Cone.

The situation in Argentina, Peru and Chile is similar to that of most of the Latin American member countries of the Organisation of American States (OAS), despite the fact that significant changes have been seen in the past few years, said Bertoni.

A number of countries have begun to reform their justice systems, particularly with regard to criminal proceedings, and have passed and implemented laws on access to public information, as in the case of Mexico, Panama, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
(snip/...)

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=26601

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ecuador's president looks to remove Supreme Court
Monday, December 6, 2004 Posted: 0049 GMT (0849 HKT)

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) -- Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez called on Sunday for Congress to study removing the Supreme Court, which is dominated by members of opposition parties that tried to impeach him last month.

The president, a former colonel, called for Ecuador's 100-member Congress, which has a pro-Gutierrez majority, to meet on Wednesday to discuss removing constitutional privileges protecting the court.

Ecuador's 31 Supreme Court judges are appointed for life and are protected by the constitution against parliamentary interference.

But according to Gutierrez's allies, Congress could vote to strip away the court's protection and then dismiss the judges by resolution.

"We are going to try to give Ecuador a new Supreme Court," Omar Quintana, head of the pro-Gutierrez Ecuadorean Roldosista Party, told Reuters.

Members of the opposition said the move against the court was illegal, based on the Andean nation's 1998 constitution, which gives the body immunity from prosecution.

Gutierrez and Quintana claim the court's judges are corrupt and have remained in their posts beyond their tenure.

"These courts have pursued their political opponents and given immunity to the guilty. Corruption has taken over," Gutierrez said late Saturday.
(snip/...)

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/12/05/ecuador.court.reut/

[David__77]

3. This is probably a good thing.

The old, entrenched oligarchy needs to be rooted out for a new democratic revolutionary order to emerge.

[RealLiberal4U]

4. Sometimes I Wish We Could Dismiss Ours n/t

[DulceDecorum]

5. When will the US follow suit?

Make them cough up the compensation
that they can only receive in times of good behavior.