Yearbook 2002

Ecuador. In the second round of the presidential election held on November 24, surprising civil engineer and former Army colonel Lúcio Gutiérrez prevailed over the lawyer and banana magnate Alvaro Noboa. Opinion polls showed during most of the election campaign that Noboa would win; As late as August he led and had 29% of the votes, while Gutiérrez was only supported by 7%.

According to Countryaah website, national day of Ecuador is every May 24. Gutiérrez belongs to the left wing in Ecuadorian politics and became known as one of the leaders behind the coup attempt on January 21, 2000. His election platform was a new party whose name recalls the event (Movimiento Sociedad Patriótica 21 de Enero), and he is supported by Movimiento Pachakutik, political branch of the Indian movement Conaie who also participated in the coup attempt.

However, in the first round of elections on October 20, Movimiento Pachakutik lined up with his own candidate, Auki Tuaña, who along with Antonio Vargas for Frente Futuro de Ecuador was the first Indian ever to stand in a presidential election in Ecuador.

Energy policy was a hot topic during the year. On February 22, a state of emergency was issued in the Department of Sucumbíos after protesters occupied the state oil company Petroecuador’s facilities in protest of the government’s privatization policy in the energy field and against the government’s promises of investment in the area. The protesters, supported by both Conaie and a majority of congressional parties, also succeeded in stopping the construction of a new large oil pipeline.

On March 15, 2005, several thousand employees of the judiciary went on strike in protest of the government’s decision to intervene in the Supreme Court’s composition. Public discontent further escalated when newly appointed judges canceled the judgments of former presidents Gustavo Noboa and Abdalá Bucaram, allowing the two to return home from their exile in Panama and the Dominican Republic.

The opposition claimed that an agreement existed between Gutiérrez and Bucaram, and with the return of the two presidents two more protests continued. Throughout April, an elongated process ripped Gutiérrez’s presidential office. April 13 was marked by extensive demonstrations in Quito demanding that the Supreme Court judges resign from their posts and that Gutiérrez be dismissed. 2 days later, he responded surprisingly again by going on TV surrounded by the army general and his ministers. In a speech, he declared the country in a state of emergency, and at the same time, by decree, dismissed the 31 Supreme Court judges. However, the protesters in Quito ignored the state of emergency and this was canceled only 19 hours after being introduced. On April 17, Congress ratified the purge within the Supreme Court and passed a law reform in the judiciary. On the 18th. April, thousands of protesters walked the streets again demanding Gutiérrez’s departure. The opposition declared its readiness to remove the president while the US ambassador negotiated with the various parties to the conflict.

By April 20, Gutiérrez had been ousted by Congress and had lost his support in the armed forces. He therefore sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy and sought asylum in Brazil. Vice President Alfredo Palacio was inaugurated as new president with the backing of the armed forces.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Riceurged Ecuador to solve its problems through dialogue and peace, but refrained from recognizing the country’s new president. Washington had close ties to Gutiérrez, who on several occasions was referred to as a friend, and it was with him that the United States had signed the agreement on Ecuador’s entry into the US Free Trade Area. But President Palacio had barely joined before Foreign Trade Minister Oswaldo Molestina declared that the basis Ecuador had negotiated his admission to would be thoroughly analyzed, and at the same time several members of the negotiating delegation were fired. Palacio immediately came under heavy pressure from various sectors of the Ecuadorian community, and thousands of protesters walked the streets again – this time to protest the United States; especially after the superpower refused to recognize Palacio as the country’s president.

Ecuador Country Overview

Visas
Finn does not need a visa for a stay of less than 90 days in Ecuador. The passport must be valid for 6 months after the end of the trip. Visa policies and rates are subject to change without notice depending on local authorities.

• According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, ECU stands for Ecuador.

Insurance
Everyone participating in the trip must have a valid travel insurance that covers medical expenses in the event of illness or other similar need. Please check the validity of your own insurance and the terms and conditions of the insurance cancellation cover. NOTE! The insurance card / certificate must be presented upon arrival in the country.

Please pay attention to the special nature of your trip and check the coverage of the insurance in that respect as well. In many locations, the insurance must also be valid when moving at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, in which case it also covers mountain sickness.

Many hiking or diving trips require more extensive insurance, which covers, for example, diving or moving on a glacier. Please check the contents of your insurance with your insurance company.

Vaccinations
Vaccinations are not required to Ecuador when traveling from Finland. Please check that vaccinations according to the vaccination schedule are valid. Yellow fever and malaria occur in some areas of the country (e.g., the Napo River region), so antimalarial medication and yellow fever vaccination can be given based on a risk assessment. Always check vaccination requirements at your health center or tourist clinic vaccination advice.
It is a good idea to prepare for a river cruise with long-sleeved and leggings and pack a mosquito repellent.

Make sure your basic vaccinations under the national vaccination schedule are valid. In addition, we recommend both hepatitis A and B vaccination. Always check the vaccination requirements at the health center or the Vaccination Advice of the Tourist Clinic

Please check the yellow fever vaccination requirements of your destination well in advance of the trip, for example here. An international yellow fever vaccination certificate is required when traveling to some countries. Please also note that in some countries a vaccination certificate is required if you arrive from a country where yellow fever is considered to occur. This is important to consider especially when traveling across multiple states. We recommend that you keep a vaccination card with you when traveling far away.

Some areas of Ecuador are located in high altitudes, and when moving in these areas, it is possible to experience the symptoms of mountain sickness, especially in mild form. Typical symptoms of mountain sickness include headache, nausea, and insomnia. In its prevention, a considered rate of rise, adequate fluid intake and care for energy balance are important. More information, for example, HERE .

Take it with you
• Good Walking
Shoes (run-in and water-resistant) • Sandals (we recommend sandals with thongs)
• Breathable rain and rain jacket
• Lightweight pants and shorts
• Enough change of clothes, especially in Amazon it is warm and rainy
• Swimsuit and towel
• Sunglasses and sunglasses
• Hat or scarf for sun protection
• Waterproof daypack
• Flashlight
• Mosquito poison

We also recommend
• Binoculars
•
Refillable water bottle • Wet wipes / cigarettes, hand sanitizer
• Camera and memory cards (we also recommend an underwater disposable camera)
• Small first aid kit

Currency: The official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar. Visa, Master Card and Diners Club cards can be used extensively, but paying in cash is usually cheaper due to card usage fees.
Currency is available from Finland. Check availability and course at www.forex.fi.

Time difference
Ecuador -7 h, Galápagos Islands -8 h. Ecuador does not use summer and winter time.

Electrical current
110V, adapter required.

Mobile phones
Check with your operator for the coverage of your mobile phone. The area code for Ecuador is +593.

Climate
Conditions can vary greatly from one part of the country to another. The Galapagos and coastal areas have a hot and rainy season from January to April. The average daily temperature is about 31 ° C, often even higher. From May to December, temperatures are slightly lower and rainfall lower. In the south there are abundant showers from May to October in the afternoon, the temperature is about 30 ° C. From November to April there is a dry season with a temperature of about 25ºC. The warm season in the north lasts from May to October and the average temperature is 30ºC. From November to February-March it is wetter, the temperature is about 20ºC.

Religion: More than 90% of Ecuadorians belong to the Roman Catholic Church and a small minority of the population belong to various Christian denominations.

Exit
fee No exit fee is currently charged.

Tips During a
Galapagos-Amazon cruise, it is recommended that the ship’s crew and nature guides leave a total of about $ 30 / customer / day in tip money. So this is just a recommendation. In Ecuador in general, it is appropriate to leave about 10-15% of the total amount of the bill.

Fauna and Flora
Despite being such a small country, Ecuador is one of the richest countries in the world. There are more than 20,000 known plant species in Ecuador and new ones are discovered every year. This is affected by e.g. the fact that Ecuador has a relatively wide range of growth environments, from the Andean mountains and rainforests all the way to the underwater world of the Galápagos Islands. Ecuador is also well suited for bird watchers, because like plant species, bird species can be found in the country Luke-mats.