This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/21/balcony-politics-ecuador
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Balcony politics | Balcony politics |
| (30 days later) | |
| Christopher Frew (Letters, 21 August) has the right quote (and country) but the wrong president. Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Ecuadorean president 1956-60, was a rather conservative Christian Democrat who didn't say – and wouldn't have said – "give me a balcony and I will become president". The balcony quote – a staple of Latin American political folklore – is attributed to the more colourful and consequential José María Velasco Ibarra, five times president between 1934 and 1972, who, when told his campaign was out of cash, replied, no matter, "give me a balcony in each pueblo [community] and I will be president" (there are different versions). Velasco is rightly seen as the classic embodiment of Ecuadorean populism, a vigorous tradition that includes more recent presidents such as Abdalá Bucaram, 1996-97 (who reportedly declared: "I am the last spasm of Ecuadorean populism"), and Rafael Correa, president since 2007 (who proved him wrong). Alan Knight Professor of the history of Latin America, St Antony's College, Oxford | Christopher Frew (Letters, 21 August) has the right quote (and country) but the wrong president. Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Ecuadorean president 1956-60, was a rather conservative Christian Democrat who didn't say – and wouldn't have said – "give me a balcony and I will become president". The balcony quote – a staple of Latin American political folklore – is attributed to the more colourful and consequential José María Velasco Ibarra, five times president between 1934 and 1972, who, when told his campaign was out of cash, replied, no matter, "give me a balcony in each pueblo [community] and I will be president" (there are different versions). Velasco is rightly seen as the classic embodiment of Ecuadorean populism, a vigorous tradition that includes more recent presidents such as Abdalá Bucaram, 1996-97 (who reportedly declared: "I am the last spasm of Ecuadorean populism"), and Rafael Correa, president since 2007 (who proved him wrong). Alan Knight Professor of the history of Latin America, St Antony's College, Oxford |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. |