Thousands rally in support of Ecuador's government in Quito's Plaza Grande, November 11. Photo: TeleSUR / Ryan Mallett-Outtrim.
Thousands of supporters of left-wing President Rafael Correa rallied in central Quito on November 11 in the face of renewed opposition protests.
“Correa has done so many things for our country,” Correa supporter Rosa Chiquimarea told TeleSUR English.
Amid crowds clad in the lime green of Correa's PAIS party, Chiquimarea said the government has revolutionised the lives of Ecuador's poor and other traditionally marginalised groups. “For example, he has totally changed the situation for people with disabilities,” she said.
Correa was first elected in 2007 on an anti-poverty platform, and has since dramatically expanded social services and welfare.
The rally packed Quito's main square, Plaza Grande, with cheering crowds, while a live band played traditional Andean music.
Outside Plaza Grande, police were out in force, amid concerns of another spate of opposition violence. An opposition march passed through the city centre in the early evening. A similar march earlier this year turned violent.
Central to the opposition protests is the demand that the government scrap proposed constitutional amendments, especially the amendment regarding the elimination of presidential term limits.
In response to the anti-government protests, Correa used his Twitter account to call for grassroots supporters to gather in front of Quito's Presidential Palace in the central Plaza Grande.
“The same ones as always want to return us to the past,” Correa wrote, calling for participation in what some supporters have promoted as a “festival for democracy”.
[Abridged from TeleSUR English.]
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