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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5832
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UNCLAS QUITO 002965 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS ALSO TO USOAS AND USAID/LAC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL PHUM ETRD EC
SUBJECT: ELECTION OVER, CORREA TAKES STAGE 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The Supreme Electoral Tribunal officially 
declared Rafael Correa Ecuador's president-elect on December 
4, but rival candidate Alvaro Noboa has refused to concede 
defeat, requesting an investigation of Correa campaign 
finances.  Since being elected on November 26, Correa has 
reaffirmed Ecuador's right to ATPDEA extension; announced 
plans to abolish Ecuador's Trade Ministry; and said his 
government would investigate alleged human rights abuses 
committed during the presidency of Leon Febres Cordero. 
Correa will attend the South American Summit in Bolivia 
December 8-9, then travel to Brazil and Argentina for 
presidential meetings.  End Summary. 
 
Results Official, PRIAN Protests 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) With all November 26 votes counted, the Supreme 
Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on December 4 officially declared 
Rafael Correa to be Ecuador's president-elect.  The 
presidential inauguration will take place on January 15. 
Correa won 56.6% of valid votes (a majority in 19 provinces) 
while second round rival Alvaro Noboa (PRIAN) finished with 
only 43.33% (a majority in only three provinces--Manabi, 
Guayas, and Esmeraldas).  Null and blank votes totaled 10.8%. 
 
¶3.  (U) Still refusing to concede defeat, Alvaro Noboa's 
PRIAN party on December 4 charged that 13 of Correa's 
campaign financers had failed to declare taxes over the past 
three years, and requested an investigation by electoral 
authorities.  TSE president Xavier Cazar confirmed receipt of 
the complaint and said an investigation was underway. 
 
Correa Heads South 
------------------ 
 
¶4.  (U) President-elect Rafael Correa left Ecuador on 
December 7 to travel to meetings in Brazil, Bolivia, and 
Argentina.  In Brasilia, Correa will reportedly discuss 
petroleum and other commercial issues with Brazilian 
President Lula da Silva.  He will then travel to Cochabamba, 
Bolivia to attend the South American Summit December 8-9, and 
then travel to Buenos Aires to meet with Argentine President 
Nestor Kirchner.  A previously scheduled trip to Bogota was 
canceled for unspecified reasons. 
 
Correa: Ecuador Deserves ATPDEA Extension 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Responding to unconfirmed and premature reports of a 
House of Representatives bill extending ATPDEA trade 
preferences only for FTA-signees Peru and Colombia, Correa 
commented publicly that ATPDEA should be extended for as long 
as there is a drug fight.  Ecuador would not accept "insults 
or threats" from any nation, he added.  Going further, Correa 
told reporters that should Ecuador be excluded from ATPDEA 
renewal, he would seek resources, even from the 
anti-narcotics budget, to compensate Ecuadorian producers 
hurt by ATPDEA expiration.  In responding to another 
question, Correa said that there was no reason for Ecuador to 
name an arbiter in the Oxy arbitration case because the 
process had no basis for moving forward without the agreement 
of both parties -- showing that he either does not understand 
the provisions of the bilateral investment treaty or chooses 
to ignore them. 
 
Correa: Ministry of Commerce No More 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) Correa announced during his campaign and reaffirmed on 
December 5 his plans to close the Ministry of Commerce and 
move its trade negotiating responsibilities to the Foreign 
Ministry.  The Ministry's industrialization and fishery 
functions would be moved to the Ministry of Agriculture. 
Correa claimed the shift would "transform Ecuador into an 
exporting nation." 
 
Correa: LFC Violated Human Rights 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) Correa announced on November 30 that his government 
would not "pardon or forget" past human rights abuses carried 
out under previous administrations.  Singling out 
ex-president and PSC strongman Leon Febres Cordero, whose 
administration has been dogged by allegations of abuses 
during his government's crackdown on domestic terrorist 
groups in the mid-80's, Correa said human rights abuses must 
be investigated and perpetrators held responsible for their 
actions. 
 
FARC Leader Congratulates Correa 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 
leader Raul Reyes issued a statement on December 6 
congratulating president-elect Rafael Correa on his electoral 
victory, calling it "a historic reaffirmation of sovereignty 
and rejection of U.S. intervention in Latin America."  The 
FARC also thanked Correa for not labeling the organization as 
terrorists.  The FARC issued similar statements to Daniel 
Ortega and Lula da Silva.  Additional congratulatory messages 
continue to arrive from other countries, most recently from 
the Government of China and Peruvian president Alan Garcia 
for his victory.  The Chinese ambassador used the occasion to 
note that China now has more than $1.5 billion invested in 
Ecuador. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Correa's first travel as president-elect signals 
his government's interest in reinforcing its ties to what 
they perceive as like-minded South American neighbors.  His 
proposal to eliminate the Ministry of Commerce, if confirmed, 
is presumably aimed at tightening control over trade policy 
and reducing the influence of the chambers of commerce and 
other private sector groups - the main constituencies of the 
current Ministry of Commerce.  Correa's knee-jerk reaction to 
a still developing story on ATPDEA renewal does not bode well 
for his ability to respond in a measured way to issues in our 
bilateral relationship. 
BROWN