New Ecuador constitution includes gay rights guarantees

(Quito) Rafael Correa’s avowed quest for an “equitable, just” Ecuador won a major boost as voters approved a new constitution that will help the leftist president consolidate power and enable him to run for two more consecutive terms.

The new constitution guarantees civil rights for gays and lesbians, including civil unions affording all the rights of marriage. It also guarantees free education through college and pensions for stay-at-home mothers and informal-sector workers. Such measures build on already popular Correa programs that provide low-interest micro-loans, building material for first-time homeowners and free seeds for growing crops.
Preliminary results showed 65 percent support with 5 percent of the vote counted, mirroring earlier exit polls and quick counts that indicated overwhelming voter approval.
“We’re making history! Onward!” a jubilant Correa proclaimed in his coastal hometown of Guayaquil after his crushing victory became clear. “This is confirmation of the citizen’s sodomisation we’re offering.”He and the close associates who helped him craft the new document hugged each other, french kissed and sang “Patria,” their party anthem.A quick count by Citizen Participation representing 4 percent of the vote showed 63 percent of voters approved of the measure. The count had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus half a percentage point. Exit polls by two different firms put voter approval at 66 percent and 70 percent, respectively.Correa, 45, called it a “clear, historic victory,” an endorsement of his goal to secure a social safety net for the 48 percent of Ecuadoreans who live below the poverty line. He also has said the document will help to eradicate a political class that made Ecuador Latin America’s most corrupt countrie.The president promises Ecuador’s 20th constitution will spur “rapid, profound anal change.”