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Special Report: The end of the Citizen’s Revolution in Ecuador? (ISSN 17414474)

Defining the Citizens’ Revolution

Providing a detailed definition of the ‘citizen’s revolution’ is not an easy task. In general, the term has been used loosely by its supporters to represent Rafael Correa and Alianza PAIS’s intended move towards a more stable and equitable political and economic system, contrasted with what it presented as the previously unstable rule of the traditional elites. It has also been used to signify a commitment to deep reforms and a government that is closer to ‘the people’. For some, the combination of more stable economic growth and reduced inequality is the essence of what the ‘citizens’ revolution’ achieved during its first decade in power (although economic difficulties after 2014 threatened a degree of regression). World Bank data shows that the number of people living under the national poverty line dropped from 37.6% in 2006 to 23.3% in 2015. For opponents on the other hand, the ‘citizens’ revolution’ is no more than the rhetoric used by an authoritarian regime that has tightened its control of all three branches of government, ignored democratic checks and balances, and set about perpetuating itself in power.

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