A Calculated Relationship: Rafael Correa and the Indigenous Movement

Abstract

This thesis examines the nature of the alliance formed between President Rafael Correa and the Ecuadorian indigenous movement that led to the incorporation of plurinationalism into the 2008 Constitution. To this end, this analysis frames the push for a new constitution that occurred between 2006 and 2008 within the larger historical relationship between the indigenous movement and the Ecuadorian presidency. The trajectory of this this relationship reveals how the indigenous movement’s extensive experience with presidential politics made it skeptical of Rafael Correa’s promises, and consequently ended the possibility of an electoral coalition with him in 2006. It also brings to light how the three presidential overthrows between 1997 and 2005 forced President Correa into a mutualistic relationship with the indigenous movement in order to stabilize the nation and secure his tenure as president. By analyzing the political climate between 2006 and 2008 as a product of its history, this thesis accurately presents the Correa-indigenous alliance as a mutualistic relationship between two opposing forces with different agendas.