The Voice of The Andes! Special Ecuador News Update from HCJB's English Language Service HCJB WORLD RADIO See more photos of the coup. See more photos of the coup. See more photos of the coup. For more photos, please click here. HCJB WORLD RADIO Our stories Ecuador's new leader promises strict rule Our stories Ecuador's new president in government palace Ecuador's new leader promises strict rule gnoboa.jpg (16065 bytes) Ecuador's new president, Gustavo Noboa Photo: RPA Ecuador's new leader promises strict rule QUITO, Jan 23 (Reuters) Interview - Ecuador's new President Gustavo Noboa said on Sunday he was ready to govern the crisis-prone nation with strict rule and vowed not to repeat the same mistakes that led his predecessor to be ousted by a military coup. Noboa became Ecuador's fifth president in three years on Saturday after a military and Indian revolt forced President Jamil Mahuad to resign and installed the 62-year-old lawyer, career academic and former vice president. "I like things done well and done the right way," Noboa told Reuters aboard the presidential plane on Sunday afternoon on the way to Guayaquil, his home town. "I am strict when it comes to complying with one's duties." The jovial former university dean inherits a country that has suffered violent storms, fuming volcanoes, social upheaval, a plunging currency and its worst economic crisis in decades the past three years. Unlike leaders of other Latin American countries, Ecuador's short-lived presidents have been unable to pass the tough measures needed to modernize the economy amid a squabbling Congress and protests. "I have great faith that Ecuador is going to come out ahead and I'm going to help it out," Noboa said. Noboa, who plans to announce his economic team by Tuesday, said he would forge ahead with Mahuad's plans to open up the country's largely inefficient oil, electricity and telecommunications sectors to private investment. "Ecuador has to modernize, privatize. But to say that is repetitive. Now we have to really do it," he said. Mahuad planned to send Congress the package of bills that would have opened up its economy on Friday. That day, protesting Indians-calling him corrupt, inefficient and too weak to manage the economy-won the support of rebel military units and forced a three-person junta to take power for a couple of hours before Noboa was installed as president. Noboa said he would also move ahead with Mahuad's plans to stabilize and revive the economy by virtually scrapping its beleaguered Sucre currency with the U.S. dollar. Largely accepted by the ruling and business class, the "dollarization" plan met a lot of opposition from the country's indigenous and poor classes, which believe the move will hike prices but keep salaries low. "I think this is a difficult road which will require a lot of discipline, but I think it's the road we have to take at this moment," Noboa said. Analysts say the dollar plan should slash inflation and lure foreign investment back to the country with the promise of a steady currency but it will require strict fiscal discipline. Although Noboa appears to be walking a similar line as Mahuad, he insisted his term would not be more of the same. "Just because I was vice president doesn't mean things have to be the same. We have a lot of common ideas, but in other ways I'm very pragmatic. That's my style and pragmatism makes things move quickly," he said. Noboa also promised to begin a dialogue with the many indigenous groups who showed their power and influence this weekend by helping force Mahuad out of office. "This can't wait," Noboa said. "It is indispensable that Ecuador has peace, but to have peace you need freedom and to have freedom you need justice. And the Indian population needs justice." Noboa conceded that the country has numerous problems and a bad track record, but he asked the international community for a little trust and faith. "Who hasn't had problems and gotten ahead," he said. "Why not us?" -- end -- Back to the top! For photos, please click here. Click here for the latest on the volcanoes Ecuador's new president in government palace QUITO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Ecuador's new civilian president, Gustavo Noboa, entered government headquarters to begin work on Sunday, one day after a military coup sparked by the nation's economic crisis brought him to power. "Peace, progress, and justice," Noboa said as he waved to reporters from the balcony of the colonial Government Palace ringed by elite armed troops. The 62-year-old former vice president assumed the presidency of Ecuador on Saturday with backing from the military. The center-right politician quickly received the support of deposed leader Jamil Mahuad and Congress as well as muted support from the United States. The consensus on Noboa appeared to strengthen fragile civilian rule in this nation of 12.4 million people. Ecuador is an odd man out in Latin America, where many countries have made strides toward constitutional democracy and painful reforms to stabilize their economies. But it remained unclear whether Noboa had enough clout to withstand critics ranging from frustrated junior military officers to the largely impoverished indigenous groups that helped topple Mahuad from power. The nation has been rocked by chronic economic problems including inflation, recession, unemployment and poverty. The size of Italy but with a debt load nearly matching its economic output, Ecuador roiled markets worldwide last year when it defaulted on its international loans. Noboa's nomination as president on Saturday followed a day of turmoil in the capital Quito, where Indian protesters and a renegade army unit demonstrating against Mahuad's government occupied Congress. A coup occurred when a three-man junta composed of a military chief, an Indian leader and a former judge took power. Early on Saturday, military chief Gen. Carlos Mendoza resigned from the junta, stripping away the armed forces' support for the uprising and Noboa assumed the presidency. The military detained Luis Gutierrez, the leader of the rebellious army unit in Congress. Mahuad, a 50-year-old lawyer who struggled during 17 months in office to lead Ecuador out of its economic crisis, said he had been forced from power and had not resigned. But he said on Saturday he would accept the new civilian president. Mahuad's whereabouts on Sunday were not known. Governments across the Americas and Europe have urged Ecuador to settle its political crisis by democratic means. The United States, which issued a terse warning on Friday as the coup developed, gave muted support to Noboa a day later. Congress, in a special session on Saturday in the business capital of Guayaquil, passed a motion allowing Noboa to remain in office until 2003, the official end of Mahuad's term. In the aftermath of Noboa's appointment, the stability of Ecuador's armed forces was uncertain. Disaffected junior officers, many sharing poor and indigenous backgrounds, joined Indian protesters on Friday to transform a civil protest into a military rebellion. "The strong movement of sergeants and other officials is still there," said an editorial in the leading El Comercio newspaper. There were also indications that Indian protesters who had occupied Quito were disappointed not only with Noboa, but with the break-up of the junta and the lack of military support. "We are going to continue fighting. We may return to march on Quito and we could be a lot more hardline when we mobilize," Antonio Vargas, the Indian leader who led the protests, told Reuters by telephone from a hiding place outside Quito. The new government showed some early signs of wanting to stop further unrest. "We are not going to cure the republic with witchcraft nor with hostile protests against those who are not wearing ponchos," Interior Minister Francisco Huerta said, referring to traditional practices and costumes of the Indians. On Sunday, Noboa appointed six ministers to minor posts but left the key portfolios of energy and finance empty. He is due to name these ministers by Tuesday. -- end -- Back to the top! For photos, please click here. Click here for the latest on the volcanoes Please stay tuned to HCJB World Radio News for continued updates. Thank you for visiting us on the web, and thank you for your interest in our host country of Ecuador. Please pray for Ecuador. 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