Ecuador Deploys Troops in Anticipation of Protests

Bracing for massive protests in Ecuador’s major cities, the government on Friday deployed 35,000 soldiers and police to deal with Indians demanding the ouster of President Jamil Mahuad and the closure of congress and the courts.

Leaders of the indigenous organization that represents 4 million Indians in this Andean nation of 12 million said they expect 40,000 Indians to march into Quito today to seize control of congress when Mahuad makes his state of the union address.

“He has not had the political will to fix the country,” said Blanca Chancosa, one of the Indian leaders. “Let him step aside so that the people can designate other persons more honest and with a will to carry out a new form of government.”

Mahuad, a Harvard-educated centrist who took office 17 months ago, has been the target of increasing calls from across the political spectrum to resign because of his failure to stop Ecuador’s economic decline. Inflation topped 60% last year, the highest in Latin America, and the economy shrank 7%.

On Sunday, Mahuad announced he was adopting the U.S. dollar as Ecuador’s official currency to halt speculation against the currency, the sucre, and to stabilize the economy. Supporters called it a bold move but skeptics characterized it as a desperate move to save his presidency.