The president asserts that Acosta filled the Constituent Assembly with members of Acción Ecológica (Ecological Action), CONAIE and unionists from PetroEcuador.
Source: Ecuadorinmediato.com
During Enlace Ciudadano (Citizenship Connection), President Rafael Correa criticized the 2008 Constitution of the Republic and declared that one of the biggest mistakes he has made during his years in office was naming Alberto Acosta as Constituent Assembly representative. He also declared that Acosta used Alianza PAIS, the official party, to get to Montecristi.
“Perhaps the biggest mistake I’ve made over the years as president was letting Alberto Acosta be president of the Constituent Assembly, because we won the election, and he filled the Assembly for me with Acción Ecológica, CONAIE, PetroEcuador unionists … all those people were put in who never won the midterm election,” President Correa asserted.
President Correa pointed out that the Constitution contains several problems, and that those who drafted it did not fulfill their initial promise to draft a constitution that was genuinely based on principles and not just regulatory.
“We have to adapt to new times, which does not mean changing the Constitution, but modifying it. Of course mistakes may have been made, especially when contradicting the bloc’s decision, where instead of creating a Constitution based on principles, an absolutely regulatory one was drafted with 444 articles, one of the longest in the world,” the President said, defending the amendments he is seeking.
According to Ecuador’s president, one of those guilty for the mistakes in the Constitution was Alberto Acosta, who went against the official bloc to allow for the participation of other people and organizations.
“Accion Ecologica did not win the midterm election but Alberto Acosta comes to the Assembly with Alianza PAIS and puts me in with all those people. Those are the people who dominated the Constituent Assembly,” said President Correa, who has also reviewed three constitutional articles that deal with ancestral rights.
“In terms of ancestral rights, incompetence can cause much more damage than good, condemning the same people to poverty,” he maintained, detailing the reasons why he is seeking to amend Articles 57, 322, and 402.
“We are doing an exhaustive review that is democratically legitimate, with the overwhelming support given us by the Ecuadorian people and those 100 Assembly members who are going to fulfill their historic duty in the National Assembly, unafraid of what may be said, in order to make a few more amendments to the Constitution,” he added.
President Correa went on to underline that these amendments were to help ancestral peoples and humanity, since, “what the [original articles] are doing is condemning to poverty the peoples they claim to defend.”