Gutiérrez Borbúa, Lucio (1957–)

Lucio Gutiérrez Borbúa emerged in Ecuadorian politics in January 2000 when, together with the leaders of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, he led a failed uprising against President Jamil Mahuad, who had presided over a generalized economic crisis. After a brief incarceration Gutiérrez, a man of dark mestizo skin from working-class origins in the Amazonian region, won the 2002 elections with the support of the indigenous movement and the left. He appointed indigenous leaders to his cabinet but left the ministry of the economy in the hands of neoliberal technocrats. Following a brief honeymoon with the indigenous movement, he alienated his leftist supporters and divided the indigenous movement. To secure his grip on power, he formed a congressional alliance with the support of populist parties and reorganized the supreme court. The return of ex-president Abdalá Bucaram from exile in Panama, made possible by a supreme court appointment by Gutiérrez, ignited demonstrations in Quito. With the backing of the armed forces, the congress removed him from office in April 2005. After a brief exile in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, Gutiérrez returned to Ecuador, where he was incarcerated. He was released from prison and is currently engaged in politics.

See alsoEcuador, Political Parties: Overview .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gutiérrez, Lucio. El golpe: Los rostros de la conspiración. Quito: Edino, 2006.

Hernández, José, et al. 21 de enero: La vorágine que acabó con Mahuad. Quito: El Comercio, 2000.

Hurtado, Edison. "Lo que pasó en CIESPAL. Apuntes etnográficos sobre el poder, los medios y los sin-sentidos de la violencia." Íconos 23 (September 2005): 63-82.

Ramírez Gallegos, Franklin. La insurrección de abril no fue sólo una fiesta. Quito: Ediciones Abya-Yala, 2005.

                                     Carlos de la Torre