I find it amazing how the govt. can go from 6 months to 1 month in the drop of a hat. Let's hope for a protest like they have never seen before so we can get this mess fixed by the end of May.

That announcement may have been made to head off a protest. Seems like panic is setting in. Where did you get that, BTW? I'd like to see the original.

I'm hearing more and more talk of a day of national protest. No one's set a date as far as I know, but the possibilty is out there.

In fairness to Correa, I'd say he's battled some formidable odds up to this point. There's no doubt reforms were long overdue at all levels of the govt. and economy. His problems comes from trying to fast track major change within a limited time frame (reality of the presidential cycle) while depending on people (Assembly) that simply aren't up to the task, and are more concerned with their private agendas than actually serving the nation.

At some point you are bound to make a critical error, and I think we've seen that. Other mistakes, just as serious as the mining mandate, have also been made, and popular opinion is starting to shift.

As one commentator in El Comercio pointed out yesterday (I can't translate all this stuff -it's a full time job!) the public up til now has been focused on politics - more specifically ideological positions - but the next election will be decided on economics. No amount of monkeying with govt statistics can disguise the fact that the nation is falling further and further behind. Food and fuel are the big issues of the day, and now unemployment rears its ugly head. Like I've said before, people vote their stomachs, then their wallets. High ideals are a distant third.

ebear