Today, Sunday, Ecuadorians are voting in a referendum put forth by President Rafael Correa on whether to create a special assembly to rewrite the nation’s constitution. Correa, a leftist president, who has maintained popular support since winning the presidential seat, put forward the proposal in order to weaken the power the nation’s congress, accused of rampant corruption, holds. But critics are calling Correa’s moves “Chavezesque” and worry about him having too much unchecked power.

Correa has not offered detailed proposals for the anti-corruption measures he envisions will result from a new constitution. But he has mentioned that a new charter should eliminate the authority of Congress — which is controlled by Ecuador’s traditional parties — to name judges and other judicial and electoral authorities.”His goal clearly is to accumulate power. There is no doubt of that,” said Benjamin Ortiz, head of a think tank in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. “His style and form of governing is intolerance. What we don’t know is the economic model he wants to lead us to.”

Socialism anyone?

Actually Correa hasn’t pulled anything of the sort , yet although he has made same moves that have earned him love from Ecuador’s poor.

Correa has begun to increase spending on social programs, including doubling welfare payments to $30 a month, expanding government loans for low-cost housing and increasing social security payments for retired people. He is financing the sharp rise in spending by making use of hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency reserve funds created by record-high oil prices.

Most feel the referendum will pass by a large margin

Via / Yahoo!

Image Via / CBC News