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Ecuadoreans take to the street against 'The Crazy One'

protest February 6, 1997
Web posted at: 7:10 p.m. EST (0010 GMT)

QUITO, Ecuador (CNN) -- He has staged quite a show, but Ecuador's colorful new president may be getting the boot.

Six months after a populist known as "El Loco" -- "The Crazy One" was sworn in, Ecuadoreans are rallying in huge numbers to protest his policies. An effort to oust him is quickly gaining momentum.

For a second straight day strikers filled the streets of the capital, some wearing masks mocking President Abdala Bucaram.

The colorful leader is known for antics such as shaving off his mustache on live television and recording a rock and roll CD. He promoted the disc by dancing with scantily clad women, at one point pouring a bottle of mineral water over his head.

But Bucaram ran into trouble with the people recently when he began to implement tough austerity measures in an attempt to balance the budget.

His proposals have caused the prices of electricity, fuel and telephone service to increase by as much as 300 percent.

Ecuadoreans Wednesday began a 48-hour strike in a protest. They returned to the streets Thursday, focusing their wrath against the president.


movie icon 399K/9 sec. QuickTime movie

"Ole, ole, ole! thief, thief, thief," protesters shouted in defiance against Bucaram. They lit bonfires and tires in the streets, and Indians and peasants blocked main highways with rocks and tree trucks, paralyzing transportation.

police

At least ten demonstrators and eight police are reported injured.

Bucaram has tried to diffuse the strike by endorsing it as a "historic protest against backwardness and underdevelopment" and promising higher wages for the poor and a price freeze on domestic gasoline. He also announced plans to replace more than half his cabinet members.

'Session of great importance'

But a movement to oust Bucaram, who has been described as a national embarrassment, is quickly picking up speed.

The speaker of Ecuador's Congress Thursday called legislators to a special session where opponents may seek to fire him. "This evening we will have a session of great importance," said Speaker Fabian Alarcon.

bucaram responds

Under Ecuadorian law the president can be removed by simple majority vote for "mental incapacity," avoiding the long process of impeachment.

The battle could escalate to a constitutional crisis. Alarcon said that he had been told Congress would be dissolved if deputies met to discuss deposing Bucaram.

Champion of the poor

The 44-year-old Bucaram took office last August after an election campaign in which he championed the poor. He performed as a comedian, dancer and demagogue railing against corruption and injustice.

During the campaign he sang, danced and told jokes. After taking office he released his own CD, "A Crazy Man Who Loves."

Bucaram has drawn fire for naming friends and family members to important posts. And he raised eyebrows for, among other things, inviting Lorena Bobbitt, an Ecuadorian famous for slicing off her husband's penis, to lunch at the national palace.

Bucaram delights in insulting his political adversaries. On one occasion, he called an ex-president a "burro," or donkey -- only to later apologize for having insulted donkeys.

Reuters contributed to this report.

 
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