2000 Ecuadorean coup d'état
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Ecuadorean coup d'état took place on 21 January 2000 and resulted in President Jamil Mahuad
being sent into exile, and replaced by Vice President Gustavo Noboa
. The coup coalition brought together the country's most powerful indigenous group, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), and a group of junior military officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez
. Amidst a severe economic crisis, the coup coalition "favored a populist democracy and economy modelled after Hugo Chávez
's Venezuela
." The coup ultimately failed, with senior military officers opposed to the programme installing the elected Vice President as President, and imprisoning coup leaders.
of the economy of Ecuador
, along with a number of International Monetary Fund
measures.
and CONAIE President Antonio Vargas declared a "government of national salvation". This led to "frantic consultations among generals, politicians, and US diplomats", and ultimately saw senior military officers install Vice President Gustavo Noboa
as President and arrest the coup leaders.
During the coup, there was little mobilisation against it, and a survey showed widespread popular support for CONAIE's occupation of Congress, which had allowed the military to call for Mahuad's resignation. However there was little public support for military rule, a fact senior military officers conducting the negotiations during the coup were aware of. The military's senior officers opposed the coalition's plans, and had close ties with the country political and economic elite, who also opposed them. They were also influenced by threats of US economic sanctions. In addition, the role of junior officers in the coup was seen as a subversion of the military hierarchy, and Chief of the Military High Command, General Carlos Mendoza, said that the generals could not accept Lieutenant Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez
as a ruling junta's military representative. There were negotiations about replacing Gutiérrez with Mendoza, but shortly after the junta accepted this, "Mendoza hijacked the coup and put an end to it by handing power over to the vice president of the country."
and was elected President, but his support collapsed after introducing various neoliberal
economic measures in order to satisfy international lenders.
Jamil Mahuad
Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt is an Ecuadorian lawyer and politician and the 51st President of Ecuador from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000. There was a severe economic crisis in Ecuador , which had led to a 60% cut in the armed forces budget...
being sent into exile, and replaced by Vice President Gustavo Noboa
Gustavo Noboa
Gustavo José Joaquín Noboa Bejarano is an Ecuadorian politician, former President of Ecuador and Vice President during Jamil Mahuad's government.- Education :...
. The coup coalition brought together the country's most powerful indigenous group, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), and a group of junior military officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005.- Political rise :Gutiérrez was prominent in a popular uprising that replaced President Jamil Mahuad for three hours in January 2000...
. Amidst a severe economic crisis, the coup coalition "favored a populist democracy and economy modelled after Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
's Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
." The coup ultimately failed, with senior military officers opposed to the programme installing the elected Vice President as President, and imprisoning coup leaders.
Background
There was a severe economic crisis in Ecuador (including the 1998–99 Ecuador banking crisis), which had led to a 60% cut in the armed forces budget. There were also concerns about corruption. Mahuad's popularity rating had fallen from 60% in October 1998 to 6% in January 2000. In the final days of 1999, Mahuad announced the dollarizationDollarization
Dollarization occurs when the inhabitants of a country use foreign currency in parallel to or instead of the domestic currency. The term is not only applied to usage of the United States dollar, but generally to the use of any foreign currency as the national currency.The biggest economies to have...
of the economy of Ecuador
Economy of Ecuador
The economy of Ecuador is based mostly on exports of bananas, oil, shrimp, gold, other primary agricultural products and money transfers from nearly a million Ecuadorian emigrants employed abroad. In 2002, oil accounted for about one-third of public sector revenue and 40% of export earnings...
, along with a number of International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
measures.
Coup
In response to the economic plans "Indian crowds flocked to Quito demanding [Mahuad's] dismissal and occupying Congress and the Supreme Court." On 21 January 2000 Lucio GutiérrezLucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005.- Political rise :Gutiérrez was prominent in a popular uprising that replaced President Jamil Mahuad for three hours in January 2000...
and CONAIE President Antonio Vargas declared a "government of national salvation". This led to "frantic consultations among generals, politicians, and US diplomats", and ultimately saw senior military officers install Vice President Gustavo Noboa
Gustavo Noboa
Gustavo José Joaquín Noboa Bejarano is an Ecuadorian politician, former President of Ecuador and Vice President during Jamil Mahuad's government.- Education :...
as President and arrest the coup leaders.
During the coup, there was little mobilisation against it, and a survey showed widespread popular support for CONAIE's occupation of Congress, which had allowed the military to call for Mahuad's resignation. However there was little public support for military rule, a fact senior military officers conducting the negotiations during the coup were aware of. The military's senior officers opposed the coalition's plans, and had close ties with the country political and economic elite, who also opposed them. They were also influenced by threats of US economic sanctions. In addition, the role of junior officers in the coup was seen as a subversion of the military hierarchy, and Chief of the Military High Command, General Carlos Mendoza, said that the generals could not accept Lieutenant Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005.- Political rise :Gutiérrez was prominent in a popular uprising that replaced President Jamil Mahuad for three hours in January 2000...
as a ruling junta's military representative. There were negotiations about replacing Gutiérrez with Mendoza, but shortly after the junta accepted this, "Mendoza hijacked the coup and put an end to it by handing power over to the vice president of the country."
Aftermath
Gutiérrez was imprisoned for four months, and then ejected from the army. He ran in the Ecuadorian general election, 2002Ecuadorian general election, 2002
Presidential and Parliamentary elections were held in Ecuador on 20 October 2002.-Presidential election:Lucio Gutiérrez won the first round of voting, but did not receive over 50% of ballots, necessitating a second round...
and was elected President, but his support collapsed after introducing various neoliberal
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
economic measures in order to satisfy international lenders.