abcnews.go.com Ecuador's New President Lucio Gutierrez Pledges War on Corruption As He Takes Office QUITO, Ecuador Jan. 15 —

Lucio Gutierrez, a cashiered army colonel who led a coup three years ago against an unpopular president, took office Wednesday as Ecuador's new president and immediately issued a warning to the country's "corrupt oligarchy."

His followers in the Congress chanted "Lucio, Presidente" as he strapped on the red, yellow and blue presidential sash and took the oath of office.

"Lucio Gutierrez will not govern for the left nor for the right. He will govern for Ecuadoreans unhindered by the ideologies of the past," he said to loud applause.

But he issued a warning that he will take strong steps against "the corrupt oligarchy that has robbed our money, our dreams and the right of Ecuadoreans to have dignified lives."

Gutierrez, 45, has pledged a war against corruption that most likely will bring him into a confrontation with Ecuador's entrenched political elite.

He has labeled Ecuador's traditional parties and their leaders as corrupt and said all of the country's former presidents should be in prison for their responsibility in "the national disaster" although he later apologized for his remarks.

In a newspaper interview published Wednesday he reiterated his warning that he will call massive street protests if the political establishment tries to block his reforms.

In a fiery address Tuesday night before the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Gutierrez said he would found a new Ecuador based on "ethical values, moral values ... with social justice" for the poor, including Ecuador's large Indian population.

Seven Latin American presidents were among the guests at the inauguration ceremony, including Cuba's Fidel Castro, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

It was the first time that Castro, da Silva and Chavez all of them leftists and Gutierrez, who describes himself as center-left but enjoyed the support of leftist groups during his campaign, had gathered in the same place.

On his arrival in Ecuador, Chavez referred to Gutierrez as "my comrade and brother in arms." Gutierrez has frequently expressed his admiration for Chavez, raising fears among some Ecuadoreans that he may seek to emulate Chavez, a former paratrooper and coup leader like Gutierrez whose leftist rhetoric has divided Venezuela along class lines and produced growing political instability.

"I think they are different personalities but their political plans are not so different," said Benjamin Ortiz, head of a Quito think tank. "His goal is to accumulate political power and if he achieves it, it will be a beginning similar to that of Chavez, who began with popular referendums."

Gutierrez, frequently referred to in the streets simply as "the Colonel," thrust himself into the national spotlight three years ago when he led a group of disgruntled junior army officers and 5,000 Indian protesters in an uprising that drove the highly unpopular Jamil Mahuad from power in the midst of the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

He won an election runoff in November, on a campaign pledge to put an end to deeply rooted corruption.

One international study ranks Ecuador as the second-most corrupt country in Latin America and the eighth most corrupt in the world.

In his campaign Gutierrez pledged to reduce the number of lawmakers, eliminate the influence of political parties over the court system and extradite corrupt bankers who made off with people's money when the banking system collapsed in 1999. He plans to call popular referendums to achieve his reforms.

"At some moment the country must change or if it doesn't I will convoke marches," he said in an interview published Sunday in the daily HOY. "We will not permit the mafia to destroy what we want to build."

Gutierrez got a taste of what he faces in his efforts to rein in Ecuador's traditional power brokers when he failed in a bid to negotiate an agreement with opposition parties that would have given him control of the 100-member Congress. Gutierrez's political coalition has only 17 seats.

www.timesdaily.com By MONTE HAYES Associated Press Writer January 15. 2003 2:33AM

Former coup leader Lucio Gutierrez pledged to battle corruption and entrenched poverty after he takes office Wednesday as Ecuador's new president, and warned that he would call street protests if the nation didn't change.

In a fiery address Tuesday night before the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Gutierrez said he would found a new Ecuador based on "ethical values, moral values ... with social justice" for the poor, including Ecuador's large Indian population.

Despite his strong words, in his first clashes with what he has labeled as a "corrupt" political establishment, Gutierrez has taken a beating and come off looking inept.

He has been forced to back down from a series of demands and threats. He even had to apologize publicly for having said all the country's ex-presidents should be in jail for their responsibility in "the national disaster."

Gutierrez, 45, has also been accused of showing an authoritarian streak, raising fears in many Ecuadoreans that he may be a copycat version of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez is a former paratrooper and coup leader whose leftist rhetoric has divided Venezuela along class lines and produced growing political instability.

"I think they are different personalities but their political plans are not so different," said Benjamin Ortiz, head of a Quito think tank. "His goal is to accumulate political power and if he achieves it, it will be a beginning similar to that of Chavez, who began with popular referendums."

Gutierrez, frequently referred to in the streets simply as "the Colonel," thrust himself into the national spotlight three years ago when he led a group of disgruntled junior army officers and 5,000 Indian protesters in an uprising that drove the highly unpopular Jamil Mahuad from power in the midst of the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

He won an election runoff in November, on a campaign pledge to put an end to deeply rooted corruption.

One international study ranks Ecuador as the second-most corrupt country in Latin America and the eighth most corrupt in the world. In his campaign Gutierrez pledged to reduce the number of lawmakers, eliminate the influence of political parties over the court system and extradite corrupt bankers who made off with people's money when the banking system collapsed in 1999. He plans to call popular referendums to achieve his reforms. "At some moment the country must change or if it doesn't I will convoke marches," he said in an interview published Sunday in the daily HOY. "We will not permit the mafia to destroy what we want to build."

Gutierrez got a taste of what he faces in his efforts to rein in Ecuador's traditional power brokers when he failed to negotiate an agreement with opposition parties that would have given him control of the 100-member Congress. Gutierrez's political coalition has only 17 seats.

He angrily declared he would not take the oath of office in Congress but in front of "the people" in another forum. But when told the constitution required the oath be taken in Congress and that his vice president would be sworn in as president instead, Gutierrez backed down.

He then threatened not to accept the presidential banner from the Congress president, whose election he questioned as unconstitutional, before again backing down.

"He has no political experience and isn't familiar with constitutional norms, the mechanisms of negotiation," said Simon Pachano, a political scientist. "He is showing the authoritarian spirit of a military man. He is chief of the executive branch. He can't give orders to Congress.

"I think he's going to have a conflictive government and is going to want to resolve things in the street like Chavez."

Despite tripping up in his first confrontation with Congress, Gutierrez appears to have strong backing among the poor, just as Chavez has enjoyed in Venezuela.

Gonzalo Lopez, 51, a truck driver in Quito, is a Gutierrez supporter. "Congress is full of the corrupt," he said. "The traditional parties don't want the reforms that Lucio wants so that he can govern for the people."

www.tuscaloosanews.com By MONTE HAYES Associated Press Writer January 14, 2003

Lucio Gutierrez, a cashiered army colonel and former coup leader, didn't wait until he takes office Wednesday as Ecuador's new president to seek a showdown with what he calls a corrupt political establishment.

But his first forays, including a failed attempt to gain control of Congress, have left him bruised and looking inept.

Gutierrez has been forced to back down from a series of demands and threats, and to apologize publicly for declaring the country's ex-presidents should be in jail for their responsibility in "the national disaster."

In the days before he assumes power, Gutierrez has also been accused of an authoritarian streak, bringing comparisons to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the former paratrooper and coup leader whose leftist rhetoric has divided Venezuela and led to growing political instability.

"I think they are different personalities but their political plans are not so different," said Benjamin Ortiz, head of a Quito think tank. "His goal is to accumulate political power and if he achieves it, it will be a beginning similar to that of Chavez, who began with popular referendums."

Gutierrez, frequently referred to simply as "the Colonel," thrust himself into the national spotlight three years ago when he led a group of disgruntled junior army officers and 5,000 Indian protesters in an uprising that drove the highly unpopular Jamil Mahuad from power amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

Gutierrez, 45, won an election runoff in November on pledges to bring an end to corruption.

He promised to reduce the number of lawmakers, eliminate political party influence over the court system and extradite bankers implicated in a 1999 collapse of the banking system. He plans to call popular referendums to achieve his reforms.

"I am going to govern the country. I am chief of state and those who prevent Ecuador from advancing, well, we'll do it over their heads," he said. "I will call the people to march and Lucio Gutierrez will be at the head. The country has to change, whatever the cost."

Gutierrez's woes began last week when he reacted angrily after he failed to negotiate an agreement with opposition parties that would have given him control of the 100-member Congress. Gutierrez's political coalition has only 17 seats.

He declared he would not take the oath of office in Congress but in front of "the people" in another forum. But when told the constitution required the oath be taken in Congress and that his vice president would be sworn in as president instead, Gutierrez backed down.

He then threatened not to accept the presidential banner from the Congress president, whose election he questioned as unconstitutional, before again backing down.

"He has no political experience and isn't familiar with constitutional norms, the mechanisms of negotiation," said Simon Pachano, a political scientist. "He is showing the authoritarian spirit of a military man. He is chief of the executive branch. He can't give orders to Congress."

Besides insulting the country's nine former presidents in a newspaper interview Sunday, Gutierrez took special aim at former President Leon Febres Cordero, who as head of the country's largest party, the Social Christians, is probably the most powerful political figure in Ecuador, except for the president. Gutierrez called him "one of the most destructive men in the country."

Responding in a a statement, Febres Cordero said "Gutierrez's declarations...demonstrate his lack of democratic spirit."

"Until now, Col. Gutierrez has been characterized by his contradictions, by his declarations and denials, which reveal a confused and disorienting personality."

Gutierrez also has worried Ecuadoreans with reported plans to force out the top 27 officers in the army, air force and navy so he can choose members of the joint military command from younger officers who served with him. News reports of the plan provoked a public protest from the military command.

"He has made mistakes with the generals, he has made mistakes with the ex-presidents, his reforms are unsustainable," Ortiz said. "He has spent a good part of his political capital before beginning to govern."