Correa says that Venezuelan election results won’t be repeated in Ecuador

President Rafael Correa said on Friday that the political opposition will not be able to achieve the same election results in Ecuador as it did in Venezuela.

President Rafael Correa

“The situations in the two countries are very different,” Correa said. “Although we face challenges, our economy is much stronger and we have made changes in our social organization that have not been made in Venezuela.” He added: “The political uprising in Venezuela was 10,000 times stronger than what we will face in Ecuador.”

The opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won 112 seats in Sunday’s legislative elections to 55 for Maduro’s socialists who have ruled for almost 17 years. The 112 seats constitute a “super majority” that has sweeping powers.

Correa said that his government has been successful in including previously unrepresented elements of the population in the government. “We have succeeding in giving a voice to people who did not have one before. We have have achieved a government of inclusion, not exclusion.” He said that Ecuador  has made large investments in social services and infrastructure that “makes life for fulfilling to all Ecuadorians.”

He also said he believes his Alianza Pais party will maintain control of Ecuador’s National Assembly in the 2017 elections and that a member of Pais will succeed him as president. He has mentioned former Vice President Lenin Moreno, current Vice President Jorge Glas, and Minister of the Interior José Serrano as possible successors.

“We are poised to maintain control and to continue the Citizen Revolution,” Correa said.

He criticized some members of the opposition for using violence in political protests. “They have attempted a soft coup and they have failed. We will uphold the law and must maintain vigilance against their tactics,” he said.