Ecuador Seizes Congress: President Mahuad Ousted by Indigenous Uprising
Indigenous organizations and military officers seized the Ecuadorian Congress and deposed President Jamil Mahuad, who had sparked public fury by dollarizing the economy during a banking crisis that wiped out millions of savings. Colonel Lucio Gutierrez briefly held power before the military establishment installed Vice President Gustavo Noboa as a constitutional successor. The coup demonstrated that Ecuador's indigenous movement had become a decisive political force capable of toppling governments.
January 21, 2000
26 years ago
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