CARICOM Condemns Attack on Ecuadorian President.

CARICOM has condemned the attack on President Rafael Correa by the Ecuadorian police force, while commending the country’s armed forces for defending its democratic institutions.

The Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Hon Bruce Golding.

A statement issued Friday (October 1) by the current Chairman of the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, the Hon Bruce Golding, described the attack on President Correa as a “flagrant assault on the rule of law” and “a grave threat to Ecuador’s democracy.”
The full text of the statement issued Friday afternoon by Jamaica House stated:
“The Caribbean Community condemns the actions led by members of the police force in Ecuador to destabilize the constitutionally elected Government of President Rafael Correa and the violent physical attack on the President himself.
“This flagrant assault on the rule of law, led by those whose sworn duty is to uphold and enforce the law, is a grave threat to Ecuador’s democracy and its institutions and must be rejected.
“CARICOM commends the armed forces of Ecuador, which have responded swiftly to defend the constitutional order in their country.
“CARICOM stands firmly in support of the democratically elected President of Ecuador, and calls for the speedy restoration of order and stability throughout the country, in accordance with its constitution.”
President Correa reasserted his control over Ecuador on Friday, a day after officers’ protests against spending cuts plunged the country into chaos. He was personally roughed up, tear-gassed and trapped in a hospital for hours before soldiers rescued him.
The 47-year-old leader has been President of the Republic of Ecuador since, January 2007.