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Protesters jam the square in front of the government palace in Quito, Ecuador, on April 20, 2005, calling for the resignation of Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez. (AP photo/Cecilia Puebla) |
INDEPTH: ECUADOR
A recent history of Ecuador
CBC News Online | April 22, 2005
The Republic of Ecuador was created in 1830 with the collapse of Gran Colombia, a short-lived republic encompassing present-day Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
1895
After years of rulers with close ties to the Catholic Church, a revolution based in Ecuador's coastal areas reduces the power of the clergy and opens the way for capitalism. Worldwide demand for cocoa fuels the economy.
1925
A sharp decline in world demand for cocoa during the Depression leaves Ecuador in an economic crisis. The military takes over the country in a bloodless coup.
1941
Peru invades part of Ecuador's mineral-rich Amazonian province, El Oro.
1942
Ecuador and Peru sign the Rio Protocol, ending their war. Ecuador cedes about 200,000 square kilometres of territory to the Peruvians.
1948-60
Growth in the banana trade restores Ecuador's political stability. Just three presidents are elected during this time, all completing their terms.
1963
A four-man military junta seizes power from President Carlos Arosemena Monroy. Leaders from the Communist left are jailed or exiled, and the new government orders changes in the country's universities to discourage left-wing activity.
1966
A collapse in banana revenues leads to an economic crisis. Student group and labour unions organize massive protests. A bloody retaliation against one of the protests forces the military junta to step down. An interim government takes over.
1967
A new constitution comes into effect.
1968
Jose Maria Velasco, who first assumed the presidency in 1934, is re-elected to the office at the age of 75. He gets only one-third of the popular vote in a field of five candidates.
1970
Velasco dismisses Congress and the Supreme Court and assumes dictatorial control of the country.
1972
Oil production begins. Four months before schedules elections, the military overthrows Velasco, appointing Gen. Guillermo Rodriguez Lara as president.
1979
A new constitution returns the country to civilian, democratic rule after almost a decade of dictatorship.
1981
A border dispute with Peru flares up, but international arbitration ends the conflict.
1982
Oil prices fall, leading to another economic downturn, strikes and demonstrations. A state of emergency is declared.
1987
Members of the military kidnap and beat President Leon Febres Cordero in protest of his free-market economic policies and decreased government spending.
1992
Ecuador leaves the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries so it can increase its oil output.
1995
Vice-President Alberto Dahik Garzoni, designer of the government's economic policies, flees the country to avoid prosecution on corruption charges.
1997
After only a few months in office, President Abdala Bucaram Ortiz is deposed by the parliament on grounds of alleged mental incapacity.
1998
Jamil Mahuad Witt is elected president and Ecuador adopts a new constitution.
2000
Mahuad is forced to leave office because of demonstrations by indigenous groups during which the military and police refuse to enforce order. The country adopts the U.S. dollar as its currency to combat inflation and stabilize the economy.
FROM JAN. 11, 2000: Ecuador wants to adopt US dollar
FROM JAN. 22, 2000: Ecuador under civilian rule again
2001
An oil spill threatens the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands, and Ecuador declares a state of emergency.
FROM JAN. 22, 2001: Galapagos oil spill declared national emergency
February 2002
Native groups organize protests and nearly bring the country's oil production to a halt. They demand that more oil revenues be invested in their communities.
President Lucio Gutierrez seen on the balcony of government palace in Quito, April 16, 2005. (AP Photo)
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Alfredo Palacio is sworn in as the country's new president, April 20, 2005. (AP photo)
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November 2002
Former coup leader Lucio Gutierrez wins the presidential elections.
2003
Former president Gustavo Noboa faces corruption charges and goes into exile in the Dominican Republic.
April 2004
Prisoners hold hundreds of people hostage to demand shorter sentences and better prison conditions. Police regain control of the jail after 10 days.
December 2004
President Gutierrez accuses the Supreme Court of pro-opposition bias and dismisses most of its members.
April 2005
The new Supreme Court drops corruption charges against former president Bucaram, allowing him to return from exile. Critics say the dismissal of the Supreme Court was part of a plot to exonerate Bucaram in exchange for his political support.
April 20, 2005
A week of anti-government protests leads the Congress to oust President Gutierrez. Members of Congress swear in Vice-President Alfredo Palacio as the new president. Gutierrez seeks asylum in Brazil.
FROM APRIL 20, 2005: Protests lead to ouster of Ecuadorean president
FROM APRIL 21, 2005: Ecuador's president seeks asylum after ousting
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