Vælgerne i bananlandet Ecuador på Sydamerikas vestkyst skal snart til stemmeurnerne og ventes at lade Rafael Correa sidde i præsidentboligen frem til 2017 – muligvis med over halvdelen af stemmerne allerede i første valgrunde.
First elected in 2007, the socialist leader is widely credited with bringing political stability to a nation that suffered decades of protests and coups, writes BBC online Sunday.
But the 49-year-old US-trained economist has been accused of implementing policies that have served to strengthen his hold on power and erode the influence of political opponents and private media.
Mr Correa’s so-called citizens’ revolution has made him popular with many ordinary Ecuadoreans and has won him friends with other Latin American left-wing leaders.
During his six years in power, Mr Correa has expanded access to healthcare and education and improved thousands of kilometres of highways, creating many jobs in the process. Poverty rates have dropped significantly.
But critics say that he has filled the courts and government positions with allies. Some call him “a Sun King of the 21st Century”.
They also complain he has taken government spending to an unsustainable level.
Correa’s first term in office had been due to end in 2011, but a new constitution mandated general elections for 2009. In that election, Rafael Correa won in the first round with 51,9 per cent.
He is legally barred from running again after this election.
