History of Ecuador (1990–present) facts for kids
Ecuador is a country located in South America. It's known for its diverse landscapes, from the Andes Mountains to the Amazon rainforest and the Galapagos Islands. This article will tell you about some important events and leaders in Ecuador's recent history.
Leaders and Changes in the 1990s
Sixto Durán Ballén's Time as President (1992-1996)
In 1992, Sixto Durán Ballén became president of Ecuador. He tried to make big changes to the country's economy, which were not very popular. However, he did manage to start some important updates. During his time, there was a short border conflict with Peru in 1995, known as the Cenepa War. President Durán Ballén started talks that eventually helped solve this long-standing border issue.
Abdalá Bucaram's Short Presidency (1996-1997)
In 1996, Abdalá Bucaram became president. He promised to help ordinary people with economic and social changes. However, his time in office was short, lasting only about six months. In February 1997, the Congress decided he was not fit to lead the country, and he was removed from office. Fabián Alarcón then became the temporary president.
Making a New Constitution (1997-1998)
After Bucaram was removed, people in Ecuador wanted to change the country's rules and how it was governed. They called for a special meeting to write a new Constitution. After about a year, a new Constitution was ready.
In 1998, new elections were held. Jamil Mahuad, the mayor of Quito, won the presidency by a small number of votes. He took office on August 10, 1998, the same day Ecuador's new Constitution officially started.
Jamil Mahuad and the US Dollar (1998-2000)
President Mahuad successfully made peace with Peru in October 1998, which was a big achievement. But the country faced growing money problems. A major decision he made was to stop using Ecuador's old money, the Ecuadorian sucre, and replace it with the U.S. dollar. This policy is called dollarization.
This change caused a lot of worry and difficulty for many people, especially those with less money. Their savings in sucres became less valuable. Meanwhile, people who already had money in U.S. dollars became richer. During Mahuad's time, the economy got much smaller, and prices for goods and services went up very quickly.
Ecuador in the 2000s and Beyond
A Change in Leadership in 2000
On January 21, 2000, during protests by indigenous groups in Quito, the military and police did not stop the demonstrations. Protesters entered the main government building. President Mahuad had to leave the presidential palace for his safety. His Vice President, Gustavo Noboa, then took over as president. The military leaders also supported Noboa. The Congress quickly confirmed Noboa as the new president. Since 2000, the U.S. dollar has been the only official money in Ecuador.
Lucio Gutiérrez's Presidency (2003-2005)
In 2002, retired Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez was elected president and started his term in January 2003. His political party had only a few seats in Congress, so he needed support from other parties to pass laws.
In December 2004, Gutiérrez made changes to the Supreme Court that many people thought were against the rules. This led to protests in Quito. In April 2005, the military announced they no longer supported the president. After weeks of public protests, Gutiérrez was removed from office. His Vice President, Alfredo Palacio, became the new president.
Rafael Correa's Time as President (2007-2017)
On January 15, 2007, Rafael Correa became president. He promised to create a new constitution and focus on helping people escape poverty. A new socialist constitution was written and approved in 2008.
Between 2006 and 2016, the number of people living in poverty in Ecuador went down a lot, and the country's economy grew. Differences in wealth between people also became smaller.
President Correa started a movement called "The Citizens' Revolution," which followed left-wing policies. He used money from a boom in raw material prices, especially from selling to China, to fund his plans. China offered loans with fewer strict rules than other lenders. With this money, Ecuador invested in programs to help people, reduced poverty, and improved the quality of life. These policies made Correa very popular, and he was re-elected three times.
As Ecuador's economy slowed down in 2014, Correa decided not to run for a fourth term. In 2015, some protests happened against his government after new taxes were introduced. Lenín Moreno, who had been Correa's Vice President, was then elected president, and many expected him to continue Correa's policies.
Ecuador After Correa (Since 2017)
Lenín Moreno's Presidency (2017-2021)
After Rafael Correa's three terms, his former Vice President, Lenín Moreno, became president in 2017. Soon after his election, Moreno started to move away from Correa's policies. He changed the direction of their political party. Moreno also led a vote in 2018 that brought back limits on how many terms a president could serve. This meant Correa could not run for president again in the future.
Ecuador faced a lot of debt from the previous government and a drop in oil prices. In August 2018, Moreno announced plans to cut government spending to save money. These plans included reducing fuel subsidies, which meant gasoline and diesel would cost more. These changes were not popular with some groups, including indigenous communities and workers' unions.
Ecuador also changed its relationships with other countries. It left the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), a group of left-wing governments. It also cut ties with the government of Venezuela and left the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). In June 2019, Ecuador agreed to let U.S. military planes use an airport in the Galapagos Islands.
In October 2019, President Moreno announced new economic measures as part of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These measures included ending fuel subsidies, which led to a big increase in fuel prices. This caused large protests across the country. On October 8, Moreno moved his government from Quito to Guayaquil because of the protests. Protesters also took over some oil fields, stopping oil production. After several days of intense protests, the government and protest leaders reached an agreement on October 13. The government agreed to cancel the fuel price increase, and the protesters agreed to end their demonstrations.
Relations between Ecuador and the United States improved a lot during Moreno's presidency. In February 2020, Moreno visited Washington, which was the first meeting between an Ecuadorian and U.S. president in 17 years.
Lasso's and Noboa's Presidencies (Since 2021)
On April 11, 2021, Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, won the presidential election. He became Ecuador's first right-wing leader in 14 years.
In October 2021, President Lasso declared a state of emergency to fight crime and violence. In June 2022, protests broke out against his economic policies, especially rising fuel and food prices. These protests were led by indigenous activists and joined by students and workers. Lasso called the protests an attempt to overthrow his government.
Lasso declared another state of emergency. The protests blocked roads and ports, causing shortages of food and fuel. President Lasso faced criticism for how the protests were handled. He narrowly avoided being removed from office by Congress. At the end of June, protesters agreed to stop their actions after the government agreed to discuss their demands.
Lasso suggested changes to the Constitution to help his government deal with crime. However, in a vote in February 2023, people largely rejected his proposed changes. This weakened his political position. His government also faced accusations of corruption.
On October 15, 2023, Daniel Noboa, a center-right candidate, won the presidential election. He became Ecuador's new president on November 23, 2023.
In January 2024, Ecuador faced a period of internal conflict due to organized crime. President Noboa declared an "internal armed conflict" after an attack on a public television channel and the escape of a gang leader from prison. Sadly, in March 2024, Brigitte García, a young mayor, was shot and killed.
