I just had to say it. This is such a sweet victory! There is nothing the Bushites and global corporate predators wanted more than to stop the momentum of the leftist tidal wave in Latin America, which now covers virtually the entire map of the continent (in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia and now ECUADOR), with common themes: anti-neoliberal (anti-"free trade"), anti-World Bank/IMF, justice for the poor, pro-democracy and pro-self-determination. Our corporate news monopolies crowed over the defeat of Ollanta Humala in Peru, a 100% indigenous Andes indian (like Evo Morales in Bolivia), who came out of nowhere this year, with no political experience and no money, and almost won the presidency. The corporate news monopolies got it completely wrong (on purpose I'm sure). They said Evo Morales' and Hugo Chavez's endorsement of Humala cost him the election, but the truth is their endorsement gained him 15% more votes between the primary and the runoff (his final total 45%), more than likely from the indigenous community, which doesn't care much about colonial-era borders and reveres Morales and Chavez. The US news monopolies wanted to MAKE it true that Chavez is "poison." Their reporting on the Peruvian election therefore entirely missed the truth of what was happening. Humala, an unknown, almost won the presidency of Peru, and he will be back.*
They did the same thing on Correa's defeat of banana baron Noboa. They missed what was really happening, because they were so obsessed with creating a reality in which Correa's anti-Bush statements and friendship with Chavez would cost him votes. I read a US corporate news monopoly rant recently (a supposed news story) which claimed that Noboa was closing on Correa because of his anti-Bush statements. The opposite was true. He cleaned Noboa's clock!
I suspect it was the indigenous vote, again. Correa speaks Quechua, the language of the Andes, which he learned when he was young and spent time in the mountains. Our corporate news monopolies don't understand (or don't care--deliberately misinform) that many Andes indigenous don't have telephones, don't have cars, don't live in urban areas, and don't get polled! But they DO have new hope--after centuries of oppression--that their participation in the political process might actually benefit them, for once. That hope has been generated by Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales. Ten thousand Andes indians came down out of the mountains to conduct a special ceremony of investiture of Morales, prior to Morales' inauguration as president of Bolivia. It was that important to them. It is a profoundly significant change in South American politics. Morales, Chavez and Correa are all friends. Chavez presented Morales with Simon Bolivar's sword at his inauguration. (--Bolivar, the great revolutionary hero, for which Bolivia is named, who led the independence fight against Spain, freed the slaves, and dreamt of a "United States of South America"). Consequently, Correa's friendship with Chavez, and his anti-Bush statements, would not turn these voters off. It would turn them ON. If the polls showing a closing race were accurate, they missed this vote (10% to 15%), or else our corporate news monopolies were promulgating false polls (as the Bushites are doing in Venezuela right now--for the purpose of stirring up riots and another military coup attempt when Chavez wins re-election).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Correa See also: USAID: Election Fraud around the world - now Venezuela
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x460259----------
*(Humala entered the primary as an unknown (no experience, no money), and won 30% of the vote, knocking the rightwing candidate out of the race. The Bushites/rightwing lost their candidate, and had to go with a leftist, Alan Garcia, known for his corruption. (True to form, after he won, he immediately began selling Peru out to the multinationals with "free trade" agreements--a phenomenon that has become so retro that even the Democrats in the US Congress are going to dump it out.) Morales and Chavez then endorsed Humala. It was in connection with Humala's campaign that Morales uttered his resonant line: "The time of the people has come." They are both indigenous indians--Morales the first ever indigenous president of Bolivia. It was a bit premature as to Peru. It will take another election cycle. But this boost from the hugely popular Chavez and the indigenous Morales helped Humala attract MORE votes, not less. He gained 15%. And these votes certainly did not come from the right. Morales/Chavez obviously roused the indigenous vote. Humala had the handicap of a brother who is too closely associated with armed resistance--the old paradigm of despair in the face of brutality and horrendous oppression. He nevertheless came surprisingly close to winning the presidency BECAUSE of the Morales/Chavez endorsement.)