Foreign Policy Blogs

Judicial Reform Likely in Ecuador

Judicial Reform Likely in EcuadorCedatos, a polling firm in Ecuador, expects President Rafael Correa to handily win a May 7 referendum to overhaul the country’s judicial system. Chief among the ten ballot proposals is the establishment of a temporary panel—to be replaced by a five-member council with a six-year mandate—that will appoint top judges. Other measures on the ballot include a ban on bull fighting and (with less popular support) a prohibition on banks and media companies from owning businesses outside their industry.

Mr. Correa insists passage of the proposals will help root out corruption among Ecuador’s elites. Presumably, he isn’t referring to members of the executive branch.

 

Author

Sean Goforth

Sean H. Goforth is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His research focuses on Latin American political economy and international trade. Sean is the author of Axis of Unity: Venezuela, Iran & the Threat to America.