MIAMI, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa promised many of his nation's citizens in Miami this weekend he would make sweeping changes in their governmental system.
Speaking to scores of his nation's citizens now living in Florida, Correa said he would grant those expatriates their own share of congressional deputies if he is able to gain control of the Constitutional Assembly, The Miami Herald reported Sunday.
''Ecuador can no longer think of itself as a land of four regions,'' Correa said Saturday. "It's time that you made your presence felt.''
The assembly, whose makeup will be decided by a vote next Sunday, will be granted powers to significantly alter Ecuador's governmental system, he said.
During Saturday's community meeting, Correa also vowed to dissolve his nation's Congress if he has control of the constitutional group.
Correa described his nation's Congress, mainly made up of opposition leaders, as a corrupt body.
The Herald said many of Correa's critics have labeled the Constitutional Assembly as an attempt by the president to increase his political powers.
