When Venezuela threatened to make parties that boycotted local elections re-register, Reuters (12/20/17) thought that was important news. Ecuador actually suspending opposition parties wasn’t as newsworthy.
Reuters routinely buries information that would badly damage the reputation of US allies in the Americas. Whether those allies are bureaucrats from the Organization of American States and the dictatorship they helped install in Bolivia (FAIR.org, 12/17/19), violent protesters in Nicaragua (FAIR.org, 8/23/18) or Venezuelan politicians who support lethal US sanctions on their own country (FAIR.org, 6/14/19), the London-based news service can be counted on to cover for them.
In the case of Ecuador, a servile US ally since President Lenín Moreno took office in 2017, Reuters has ignored efforts to prevent Moreno’s strongest opponents from participating in the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 2021.
On Reuters’ website, I found 26 articles in English about Ecuador from June 19 through August 16. None of them are about the Moreno government openly trying to prevent four political parties from running in the 2021 elections. Ecuador’s auditor general, Pablo Celi, demanded on June 19 that the parties be banned, and, a few days later, called for electoral authorities to be fined and fired if they disobeyed him.
Back in 2017, the same day Venezuela’s electoral authorities announced that parties that boycotted municipal elections would have to re-register to participate in the presidential election, Reuters (12/20/17) immediately ran an article with the headline “Venezuela May Ban Main Opposition Parties From Presidential Vote.” Days earlier, another Reuters article (12/11/17) had the headline “US Condemns Threat to Ban Venezuela Opposition From Elections.”
Quite a lot to ‘miss’
Celi is strongly implicated in acts of corruption that have recently come to light, and has a dubious legal claim to having his job at all. However, he has been pivotal to Moreno’s criminalization of political opponents, and that’s kept him on the job and on the attack (CounterPunch, 7/1/20). Electoral authorities resisted Celi’s bullying for weeks, but caved on July 19. The four parties were suspended.
The key party Moreno has targeted for elimination is Fuerza Compromiso Social (FCS)—the party supporters of former President Rafael Correa joined in order to be able to participate in the 2019 regional elections. (Correa and Moreno belonged to the same left wing party for ten years, Alianza PAIS; Moreno moved the party completely to the right after he was elected president in 2017. See FAIR.org, 2/4/18.)
A judge overturned the suspensions on August 2. The electoral authorities’ effort to reverse the judge’s ruling failed on August 14. But the electoral authorities had already made another decision that will subject FCS and the other three parties to a special “review” that could still block them from participating in 2021. The “review” is supposed to be completed by mid-September.
Moreno’s cabinet secretary, Juan Sebastián Roldán, said in a TV interview (MAXTV Online, 8/7/20) that Correa is part of a “gang” that “must not be feared.” He added menacingly that it’s a “big risk being a Correaist candidate, because the justice system will have its eyes on those who have not yet fled or been convicted.” This is not an idle threat that Roldán made: Numerous Correa allies (including elected officials) have been jailed or driven into exile by Moreno.
Moreno’s great betrayal
Because Ecuador is a US ally, Reuters (4/7/20) treats the government bringing criminal charges against a political opponent with none of the skepticism it would apply to a similar move by an Official Enemy.
Correa was first elected in 2006 and left office in May 2017. Moreno had been vice president for the first six years of Correa’s time in office, and his special envoy to the UN for the remaining four. Understandably enough, voters in 2017 believed Moreno was sincere when he praised Correa lavishly throughout his campaign, saying Correa’s “citizens revolution” had been “legendary.”
Within weeks of taking office, it was obvious Moreno had done a complete ideological about-face and implemented the platform of his right-wing opponent, a banker named Guillermo Lasso. A threat to prosecute Correaists was part of Lasso’s platform, and Moreno followed through on it ruthlessly.
Moreno’s running mate, Jorge Glas, who immediately opposed Moreno’s right turn, was quickly imprisoned for “illicit association,” based on flimsy evidence and judicial chicanery (CounterPunch, 12/21/18). Moreno has tried to pursue Correa in Belgium using two ridiculous cases. Correa, whose wife is Belgian, had always said he would live there after leaving office. Interpol, on human rights grounds, has rejected two different requests by Ecuador to arrest Correa.
Moreno similarly followed through on Lasso’s promises to illegally eject Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and to shift economic policy to the right, based on the lie that Ecuador’s public spending and debt had been unsustainably high under Correa (FAIR.org, 10/23/19). Fulfilling yet another campaign promise by Lasso (to restore “institutional independence”), Moreno stacked the judiciary and numerous other control authorities to the satisfaction of Ecuador’s traditional powerbrokers (CounterPunch, 10/12/18). All of this pleased Ecuador’s private media, and Western media generally (FAIR.org, 2/4/18, 11/3/18).
In April, a Reuters article by Alexandra Valencia (4/7/20) covered for Moreno’s extreme cynicism by deceptively stating that Correa “initially backed [Moreno] in 2017.” That’s like saying that Jesus and Judas had once been friendly acquaintances.
Reality asserts itself
Overwhelming local and international media support aside, Moreno’s economic policies hurt the population, and the regional election results of March 2019 showed that “Correaists” remained the most serious electoral threat to Moreno and his right-wing allies. That’s remarkable, considering that Correa’s supporters have not even been allowed to register their own political party—hence their decision to participate by joining FCS. They could only participate in 48% of the states and 22% of mayoral elections (CounterPunch, 10/25/19).
Moreno’s government took another hit in October 2019, when protests broke out against harsh austerity measures it tried to impose. To salvage their credibility, some anti-Correa collaborators of Moreno’s from the supposed “left” were forced to confront him (CounterPunch, 10/25/19).
All of that was before the Covid-19 pandemic struck Ecuador. The government’s response was so incompetent that (based on excess deaths per capita) it’s among the worst in the world. To make matters worse for Ecuador’s right, the gruesome outbreak began in Guayaquil, a port city that’s been governed by the same right-wing party (PSC) since 1992—a fact that explains some weird attempts to put a positive spin on the city’s catastrophe. An NBC News headline (8/7/20) said: “Guayaquil, Ecuador, Once Had Bodies on the Street Because of Coronavirus. Now It’s Helping Others.”
I should note that a Huffington Post article (8/5/20) by Travis Waldron and Nick Robins-Early did make a quick mention of Moreno’s attempt to ban Correaists from the 2021 elections—albeit very deep into a lengthy article whose emphasis was largely on demonizing Venezuela’s government. Journalist Phil Gunson, who has been whitewashing the US-backed opposition in Venezuela for decades, was quoted extensively.
Alliance makes a world of difference
Moreno is not struggling to contain a violent opposition backed by a superpower, as Nicolás Maduro is in Venezuela. On the contrary, Moreno is trying to prevent voters from punishing Ecuador’s very pro-US right-wing parties, whose platform he adopted.
Correaists aren’t asking the US to strangle Ecuador’s economy or invade the country, nor are they asking the bloodsoaked Elliott Abrams to bribe and coerce Ecuador’s military to perpetrate a coup. They just want to participate in the upcoming elections. Unfortunately, Reuters’ priorities are clearly US priorities—which means covering for US allies at the expense of journalistic integrity.
Featured image: Reuters depiction (10/17/19) of Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno (photo: Henry Romero).
ACTION ALERT: You can send a message to Reuters here (or via Twitter: @Reuters). Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective.
I just thought the first sentence of the reuters article about venezuela banning parties was hilarious. It’s hard to imagine a more subversive way to describe a legislative organization “pro- government legislative superbody” . Reuters has managed to insinuate something that is both incredibly vague and nefarious at the same time. It’s hard to imagine the heart of a government that isnt pro government. “Superbody” must mean an organization that governs an entire country. Arent all legislatures of all countries that have been, are and forever wil be “pro-government superbody?” Is reuters attacking the purpose of a legislature?
One of Moreno’s first tasks in office was to hand pick (not elect) a “pro- government superbody” that proceeded to stack the judiciary and other control authorities. Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly is a real thing in its constitution, and there is such an assembly Ecuador’s as well. Moreno simply invented together with his accomplices ion the right.
Hey Joe, when is Venezuela’s sham constitutional assembly going to actually…. you know…. reform the constitution like they were supposed to? Have you realized yet that it was simply a power grab used to replace the existing democratically elected assembly? Now Maduro is saying it will simply be dissolved at the end of the year without have written a single article of the constitution. You know why? Because now they are going to take control of the actual assembly with more fraudulent elections. What’s hilarious is that anyone would be stupid enough to try to justify something that was so blatantly illegal from the beginning, and was formed with completely fraudulent elections in which no vote counts were even published! What a dunce!
Hey “Jim”, When was Trump elected Emperor of Venezuela and the rest of the world with powers to murder whoever he wants whenever he wants? A decent person tries to prevent the crimes their government perpetrates. Under Venezuela’s conditions, the US doesn’t elect a constituent assembly, it puts the all foreign-backed opposition leaders six feet under 20 years ago- just for starters. Good luck getting an opposition party in your country (the US) which I’m guessing is where you are from.
Once again, Joe can’t actually respond to any of the horrible things the Maduro regime does on a daily basis. Instead he just says “But what about the United States?” Fortunately, anyone with a brain can see how stupid that argument is.
Actually, a decent person criticizes all abuses against human rights, regardless if it comes from their own government or from another government. You know this, because you aren’t a US citizen, nor are you from many of the countries that you criticize. What’s really disgusting is when people try to justify horrible abuses and the slaughter of poor people by saying “The US would have done much worse!” What a silly fool you are.
And of course, Joe completely distorts what happened in Ecuador. He’s referring to the Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social, which Moreno did not create, but which existed long before he was president. In fact, it was heavily criticized before Moreno came into office because Correa was accused of having stacked it with his own supporters in 2010. Therefore, Moreno had many of those people removed and replaced with new members, but all of this was approved by the National Assembly, who voted on each candidate.
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the Maduro government simply appoints whoever they want to the courts and the electoral council even though this is supposed to be done by the National Assembly. The National Assembly in Venezuela, which was democratically elected in 2015, has essentially been dissolved by Maduro and has no power whatsoever. Maduro holds all the power, and does whatever he wants. There’s simply no comparison to Ecuador, unless you are an incredibly dishonest hack.
Here is a detailed interview I did with a professor of constitutional law on the body Moreno invented and then handpicked
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/12/ecuadorian-president-lenin-morenos-assault-on-human-rights-and-judicial-independence/
Of course anybody is free to believe somebody who goes by “Jim” (or is it “Jimm”) commenting under an article he clearly didn’t read. I linked to this piece in the article.
OH, look out! Joe interviewed a Correa supporter who agrees with him and published it on Counterpunch! That means it must be true!
For non-biased info you can read about it here: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consejo_de_Participaci%C3%B3n_Ciudadana_y_Control_Social
What’s hilarious is that Joe would pretend that Moreno’s CPCCS is such a scandal, while at the same time defending Maduro’s constitutional assembly which was a far more blatant power grab. You have to be incredibly stupid to hold both of those positions at the same time.
What’s really rich is watching a long-time apologist of the Maduro dictatorship be outraged by some undemocratic things taking place in other countries. You’ve gotta be pretty damn dense to think what Moreno has done in Ecuador is even close to comparable to the complete destruction of democracy that has taken place in Venezuela under Maduro. While police in Venezuela slaughter dozens of poor people every day (see Nacla’s recent report), Joe is worried about Moreno’s unsuccessful attempt to ban a political party! One time Joe even tried to justify Maduro’s extrajudicial killings by saying…”but the US is trying to overthrow him!” What a moron. If anything, this episode shows that Ecuador’s democratic institutions still work, as Moreno’s attempt was stopped by the courts. When was the last time any institution in Venezuela stopped anything Maduro tried to do?
Venezuela has tolerated a violent US-backed opposition for nearly 20 years to an extent that would be inconceivable in the US. What’s “rich” is a far less democratic country than Venezuela – like the US – presuming to not only lecture, but savagely punish all Venezuelans by declaring their government illegitimate and abusive. Only possible because Democrats can barely be called an opposition party. Democrats happily joined Trump in the House of Reps to give a standing ovation to the guy he appointed as Venezuela’s president.
As for Ecuador, you should try reading the article. Moreno has exiled and banned political opponents including elected officials – despite facing no external threat. Correa & supporters haven’t even been allowed to register a new party of their own. Correa – if he dares to return and try to run – faces a huge risk of ending up in jail, unlike Guaido who has walked around free in Venezuela for years as he openly takes orders from Washington while it engages in collective punishment of his country.
As usual, moron Joe uses the US as a justification for everything Maduro does. He can literally murder his own people, killing dozens a day, or throw politicians off tall buildings as occurred recently in Caracas, or lock them away for decades with no trial as he’s done on countless occasions, yet Emersberger says it’s all the US’s fault! There are literally dozens of politicians, both Chavista and opposition, who are hiding in exile as the Maduro government seeks their extradition. Many of them, like Rafael Ramirez, Chavez’s energy minister, have done nothing more than speak out against Maduro’s abuses. Then there’s Baduel, Chavez’s defense minister, who has spent over a decade in solitary confinement, with no evidence at all or trial proving his guilt. Yet moron Joe thinks we should all be worried about Correa who lives in Belgium, and is running again in next years elections. Only a completely uninformed idiot could argue that Ecuador is less democratic than Venezuela.
“Only a completely uninformed idiot could argue that Ecuador is less democratic than Venezuela.”
Right – or somebody doesn’t even read the article he comments under.
Bye “Jim”
Exactly. You simply can’t respond to the much worse abuses of the Maduro regime, because it doesn’t fit into your idiotic agenda in which the US is the only bad guy that should be criticized. Grow a brain.
Dude, Maduro has let a political party that has fomented a coup not once, but 3 times stay as an active party, and only a few of the principle leaders of the actual coup have lost any freedoms.
In comparison, Moreno has thrown people in jail for being part of a political party that he used to be a part of, which hasn’t done anything like that.
In addition, Guiado was part of right-wing mobs that literally LIT PEOPLE ON FIRE, mostly indigenous activists. But notice, no jail time, no criminal prosecution. Its almost like after there was rioting and violence on both sides, Maduro chose not to use that as pretext to throw all the right-wingers in jail. Boy, what an asshole! [sarcasm]
Those are the facts in Venezuela.
Reuters should write an article entitled:
“Joe Emersberger (unsurprisingly) looks away as Maduro bans opposition parties, murders his critics, destroys the economy, imprisons hundreds of people without trial, and forces millions of Venezuelans to flee the country.”
Sure cuz I’m equivalent to one of the world’s major new agencies? Nice idea though. Wish they’d do it, but they won’t.
No, you aren’t equivalent, because your hypocrisy is far worse than Reuters. Why don’t you criticize your buddies at Telesur or Counterpunch for not even mentioning the hundreds of extrajudicial killings in Venezuela? Because those that die at the hands of Maduro don’t matter, right?
Hypocrisy is calling the US (or Ecuador) a democracy but insisting that Venezuela is dictatorship. That’s why Reuters hides the abuses of US clients. Worse hypocrisy still is pretending the US (& Ecuador) have the right to team up with other governments (including actual dictatorships in Bolivia, Honduras and Haiti) and supporting murderous US sanctions on Venezuela.
There is more than one kind of hypocrisy Joe, and yours is far more obvious than Reuters. The horrible “abuse” you accuse Reuters of “hiding” didn’t even happen as the courts reversed it. Meanwhile, Maduro continues to murder the poor, override the Congress, steal elections, and pocket the country’s resources while millions starve. Yet you say nothing about those abuses. In fact, you seek to justify them by saying “but the US would do much worse!”
Calling Ecuador or the US a democracy and Venezuela a dictatorship is simply calling a spade a spade. No one claims they are perfect democracies or even good democracies, but there are certain checks and balances that prevent one man from ruling perpetually and concentrating all power in his hands. You want to make a bet who between Trump, Moreno and Maduro will still be clinging to power in a few years and who will have left power democratically? You already know the answer, you’re simply too dense to admit it.
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UPDATE: FCS has now been officially banned from the 2021 elections
https://mobile.twitter.com/pichinchauniver/status/1306281876601045000