Topic: Lucio Gutierrez

Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born March 23, 1957) served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005.

Gutiérrez was prominent in a popular uprising that replaced President Jamil Mahuad for three hours in January 2000. Mahuad was forced to abandon office after demonstrations in Quito by thousands of indigenous Ecuadorians protested Mahuad government's support of neo-liberal economic policies, particularly proposed dollarization plans. Instead of ordering to disperse the protesters, then Col. Gutiérrez and the army stood aside and let them take over the national parliament. Under pressure from the United States, and lacking support from the indigenous movement, the Junta was dissolved by General Carlos Mendoza and the Congress named then Vice President Gustavo Noboa as president of the country. The armed forces jailed Gutiérrez for six months, but he was discharged, and faced no criminal prosecution despite the fact he was a direct participant in the "coup d'état" that broke the democratic regime of Ecuador.

Gutiérrez ran for President in 2002 as the candidate of the January 21 Patriotic Society Party (PSP), named for the date of the 2000 protest, and the Pachakutik Movement, on a platform of fighting corruption and reversing neoliberal economic reforms. He defeated banana magnate and the wealthiest man in Ecuador Álvaro Noboa in the second round with 55% of the popular vote, through a partnership with the leftist and indigenous movement parties, MPD and Pachacutik, respectively.