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FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4576
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 5682
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1783
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN 9867
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 0648
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 0632
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS QUITO 001434 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SCUL EC
SUBJECT: ECUADOR READY FOR A FEMALE PRESIDENT? 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Women in Ecuador have made significant 
strides in politics in the last decade, with quotas helping 
to give women opportunities to win public office and 
contributing to a gradual change in societal attitudes.  The 
campaign of Cynthia Viteri, the only female presidential 
pre-candidate, will test how far women leaders have come 
here.  Opinion is divided over whether she will be helped by 
the fact of her gender, but all agree that being a woman 
candidate is not a negative.  Viteri's main weakness is her 
perceived dependence on unpopular (male) Social Christian 
Party (PSC) leaders.  If she wins, Viteri will be severely 
challenged, but no more so than her male counterparts.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) PolOff discussed the presidential candidacy of 
Cynthia Viteri and the state of women in politics with 
various Ecuadorians, including FLACSO university political 
science professor Simon Pachano; former Congresswoman 
Alexandra Vela; former Ambassador to Washington, Minister of 
Trade, and 2002 presidential candidate Ivonne Baki; and 
former Vice President and President-for-a-day Rosalia 
Arteaga.  Ecuador was the first country in South America to 
give women the right to vote in 1929.  None of those 
interviewed thought there would be a strong negative reaction 
to a female presidency.  According to Baki, Ecuador had moved 
beyond defining candidates in terms of gender; instead 
Ecuadorians judged candidates on their capabilities. 
Currently 17 Congress members are women (17%), two of fifteen 
Cabinet ministers are women (Environment and Tourism) four of 
22 prefects are women (5.5%), and there is one female boss of 
a major political party. 
 
Quotas Provide Female Politicians A Boost 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Women's political participation has been boosted by 
a 2000 law requiring that the percentage of women candidates 
gradually increase in each election until reaching 50 percent 
in 2008.  In the 2006 election, 45 percent of candidates must 
be women.  Ecuador has seen a sharp increase in the number of 
women in Congress from an average of five from 1990 through 
1997, to the current 17.  The law also requires parties to 
provide training to female candidates.  Vela noted that of 
the 17 women in Congress, few were visible or active, but 
noted that Congress has few individual stars and votes are 
generally dictated by party bosses.  Though originally 
skeptical, Baki credited quotas with gaining access for women 
into the political arena where they have been able to prove 
themselves.  Arteaga agreed that while she did not benefit 
from quotas during her political career, they have 
subsequently created more political space to women than 
otherwise would have been available. 
 
Previous Female Presidency Short-Lived 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) If Viteri wins, she will not be the country's first 
female President.  In 1997, then-VP Rosalia Arteaga assumed 
the presidency for less than 24 hours after president Abdala 
Bucaram was declared mentally incompetent by Congress. 
Arteaga was subsequently replaced by president of Congress 
Fabian Alarcon.  Most agreed that Arteaga was passed over by 
Congress less for being a woman than for her association with 
discredited ex-president Bucaram.  In 1998, Arteaga ran for 
president, receiving just five percent of the vote.  Noting 
progress, Arteaga said that when she became Ecuador's first 
female Minister of Education in 1994, the public reacted with 
surprise and skepticism.  "Today, no one is surprised when 
women are named ministers." 
 
¶5.  (U) Other women have run for the job of chief of state. 
Ivonne Baki, a former Ambassador to Washington ran for 
president in 2002, receiving only 1.7 percent of the vote. 
Baki takes consolation in the fact that she fared better in 
that election than an ex-President (Hurtado) after having 
been away from the Ecuadorian political scene while serving 
as Ambassador to Washington, and after just two months of 
campaigning.  After Gutierrez won that election, Baki served 
as his Minister of Trade. 
 
Viteri's Gender Unlikely To Hurt Campaign 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Cynthia Viteri, 40, a two time Congresswoman and 
former television journalist, is currently the Social 
Christian Party's (PSC) pre-nominee for president.  Recently, 
Viteri stepped down as vice president of Congress in order to 
pursue her campaign.  In Congress, she gained visibility as 
acting president in April 2005, swearing in President Alfredo 
Palacio after Lucio Gutierrez' irregular ouster.  Viteri is 
currently the only female pre-candidate.  Being a woman could 
help her campaign; Pachano said it would help her to strike a 
separate identity from the very strong personalities of PSC 
party boss Leon Febres Cordero and popular Guayaquil mayor 
Jaime Nebot (PSC).  Her campaign uniform, all white, connotes 
purity and anti-corruption, and being a woman adds to this 
image.  Viteri's campaign is also publicizing her presence at 
the inauguration of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Viteri's party has not held the presidency since 
1984-88, when Febres Cordero was president.  In Pachano's 
opinion, Viteri is the best candidate for the PSC as she 
symbolizes a certain renovation for the party with a more 
modern, less "Mafioso" image.  Nevertheless, the baggage of 
party boss Febres Cordero looms over Viteri.  Febres Cordero 
is nicknamed by many as the "owner of the country" and widely 
believed to have the power to topple presidents through his 
behind-the-scenes influence over various government 
institutions and the PSC's sway (with 25 seats, the largest 
bloc) in Congress. 
 
Could She "Be Her Own Man"? 
--------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The perception that she would not be able to make 
her own decisions as President, and instead defer to party 
boss Febres Cordero, is one of Viteri's main weaknesses as a 
candidate.  Viteri has made an effort in press interviews to 
emphasize that she will be independent and make her own 
decisions, yet many question her ability to do so.  Pachano 
believes Viteri could effectively position herself as 
independent, but it will depend on whether PSC party leaders 
are willing to allow this.  Others do not believe Viteri 
could ever be seen as independent of Febres Cordero.  Vela 
noted Viteri would always be on her cell phone (presumably 
talking to Febres Cordero) before any vote in Congress. 
Viteri will be granted a certain amount of autonomy by Febres 
Cordero, but it is unlikely she will completely free herself 
of his strong influence. 
 
Personal History A Plus? 
------------------------ 
 
¶9.  (U) Viteri has publicized the fact that she was an 
adolescent mother, working to support herself and her 
children.  Pachano thought Viteri's personal hard-luck story 
as an adolescent and working mother could help her.  Women's 
participation in the Ecuadorian work force has jumped from 27 
percent in 1990 to 42 percent in 2004 and women head of 
households has risen from 19 to 24 percent during the same 
period; more working women may relate to Viteri's 
experiences.  Pachano believes Viteri does hold an appeal to 
women voters and will capitalize on this with a female 
discourse.  Viteri publicly says she is "not a feminist, but 
is a woman" in an attempt to not alienate male voters. 
 
¶10.  (U) Within a party considered to represent elite 
"oligarchy", Viteri's life story could help her separate 
herself from the elite associations of her party and Febres 
Cordero and even achieve a sort of "outsider" status.  Baki 
also thought that being a woman was one of Viteri's main 
campaign strengths.  Before entering politics, Viteri was a 
television journalist and is considered attractive. 
Ironically, Pachano believes Viteri's good looks could hurt 
her in that it may cause some voters to take her less 
seriously.  Others thought Viteri's experience with the media 
would help her campaign. 
 
Gender Unlikely To Affect Stability 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (U) As a country that has seen three straight elected 
Presidents removed from office before completing their terms 
in recent years, most do not think a female presidency would 
be any weaker.  Pachano said that having a female president 
would not make Ecuador any more unstable, as Ecuador had 
structural instability.  Baki believes the strength of women 
politicians is their ability to work towards consensus.  Baki 
thinks that Viteri has already demonstrated the ability to 
achieve consensus within her own party.  All agree that in 
the turbulent world of Ecuadorian politics, Viteri, if 
elected will need to seek alliances and consensus in order to 
have a chance at finishing a four year term. 
 
Viteri Could Advance To Second Round 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶12.  (U) Viteri is currently ranked second in early 
presidential polling, after former Vice President Leon Roldos 
and is nearly tied with Alvaro Noboa.  Most voters remain 
undecided, however.  Viteri's chances to make it to the 
second round runoff will depend in part on her choice of a 
running mate.  All agreed the best choice for Viteri would be 
a highlander, with Pachano suggesting someone in the center 
or center-left (to balance the center-right PSC).  By 
balancing the ticket, Viteri would boost her approval ratings 
and credibility in the Sierra. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Congress is in desperate need of new and capable 
leaders, male and female.  The quota increases for women have 
helped bring new faces into the arena.  The viability of 
Viteri's presidential candidacy adds another real prospect 
for women's political advancement.  But victory is by no 
means certain, and the Viteri campaign is cautiously 
emphasizing unifying themes to attract cross-over voters, 
preferring not to be seen as an overly feminist campaign. 
Given the baggage that comes from her party, Viteri's gender 
can only help distinguish her from discredited male PSC 
leaders. 
JEWELL