Oscar Ayerve
Who is Oscar Ayerve?
He is Ecuador's new interior minister, the sixth since President Lucio Gutiérrez took office in January 2003. Ayerve's predecessor (and friend), Xavier Ledesma, was only appointed on 23 February. Ledesma resigned because of problems with his eyes.
Why watch him?
Ayerve's appointment coincides with a change of tack by the government. On 27
March, Gutiérrez announced that he would negotiate over the reform of the
supreme court and allow congress a say in the reform. On 8 December Gutiérrez
had triggered a major political crisis by sacking all but four members of the 31
judges on the supreme court. This switch to consulting congress marks a major
change from the government's tactics of only a week ago. On 22 March the
government used tear gas to clear its opponents from congress. The opponents
were trying to stop the government imposing its choice of attorney general on
the country.
Born: 1949
Educated: He has an MBA from the University of California in Los Angeles.
Public Life:
Ayerve made his reputation as the head of the creditors' committee when one of
the country's biggest banks, Filanbanco, went bust. He has given up the
chairmanship of the committee, though he says he still intends to sit on the
committee. He has a feud with Filanbanco's liquidator, Xavier Izurieta, whom
Ayerve has accused of putting his own interests above those of other creditors.
Ayerve worked on Gutiérrez's election campaign where he ran the candidate's
political diary. He then fell out with the Gutiérrez government before falling
back in with it. He was number two in the interior ministry until his
appointment to the top job on 27 March.
Timeline
1983 to 1996: prominent in Izquierda Democrática (ID)
1994: Quito councillor for the ID, but opposed to the mayor (and later
president), Jamil Mahuad
1994: investigated corruption around Luz Endara
1994 to 2001: developed his printing and publishing business, Taski,
until Filanbanco failed, costing him US$500,000.
2001: forms the Filanbanco creditors' committee
2001 to 2005: chairs Filanbanco's creditor committee, representing 64,748
creditors who are owed US$138m.
2002: worked on Gutiérrez's campaign
2003: petitions Amnesty International, calling on the Gutiérrez
government to pay Filanbanco's creditors, as it had promised.
Strengths
He is a tough negotiator and his high profile over Filanbanco, where he has
forced out three of the four liquidators, who he said were not acting in the
creditors' best interest, has made him a force to be reckoned with. He is not
afraid of criticising people: he once labelled the current agriculture minister,
Leonardo Escobar, as a puppet of Filanbanco's former controlling shareholders.
Ayerve is loyal to old friends, notably Gerardo Zapata, a former police captain
in the mid-1980s who is now deputy director of police intelligence. Another
close link is with Fausto Cobo, a retired colonel who gave up his promising
military career to overthrow President Jamil Mahuad in January 2000. Ayerve has
brought Cobo into the interior ministry as his number two. Cobo is close to the
indigenous movement, Pachakutik, and despite joining the anti-Mahuad coup led by
Gutiérrez, has also been a critic of the government. Ayerve has been strongly
critical of Roberto and William Isaías Dassum, the former owners of Filanbanco.
Weaknesses
Ayerve has a range of enemies. He had a major falling out, over Filanbanco, with
Patricio Acosta, one of Gutiérrez's chief advisers. Ayerve forced Acosta out of
office and Acosta accused Ayerve of spying on him. The leader of the ID, Jorge
Sánchez, admits that Ayerve left the party on bad terms after taking legal
action against the party. One ID deputy accused Ayerve of being a bag-man.
Ayerve retorted that he was one of the few people who had gone into, rather than
come out of, politics as a wealthy man. Pachakutik dislikes him. Ayerve has also
been accused of corruption, first over the purchase of intelligence equipment
which has been used to spy on opposition politicians and secondly over a
contract awarded to his publishing firm, Taski, to produce tax declaration forms
and military identity cards.
Prospects
Ayerve's tough reputation should mean that he will serve longer than Ledesma. If
the judicial reform deal is accepted by congress, Ayerve will be in a powerful
position to reshape the country's constitution. Gutiérrez has ambitious plans
to overhaul congress and make the country's traditionally weak governments
stronger and more effective.