Chaos and Anarchy: A Day After

Andrés Ochoa is a contributor to COHA. He is a researcher at the Centro Latinoamericano de Estudios Políticos in Quito, Ecuador

A day after the political upheaval in Ecuador, buses are running and traffic is starting to resume. In spite of last night’s violence between the military and the police, Quito seems to have returned to normal. Although Ecuador has experienced three coups d’état in the last sixteen years, they were all bloodless. This time the turmoil in Ecuador certainly has taken its toll–at least two Ecuadorians have died and dozens of people have been injured according to reports.

It is still not clear how circumstances reeled out of control. Some analysts have prematurely concluded that it was a staged and well-organized attempt to topple the government, but the lack of coordination among the police suggests that this may not be the case. The unrest began after President Rafael Correa approved legislation to cut police and military benefits. While President Correa addressed angered policemen at the barracks in Quito, the majority of the police force was quietly performing its duties. As reports began to flow of a standoff between the President and the police, officers started to leave their posts and join the revolt. The President was confined for eleven hours at the Police Hospital surrounded by the police protestors.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Contributor Andrés Ochoa, reporting from Quito