Ex-Coup Leader, Lucio Gutierrez, Sworn in as New President of Ecuador,
January 15, 2003
Lucio Gutierrez, the 45 year old retired army colonel who led an indigenous revolt against then president, Jamil Manuad, was sworn in as Ecuador’s new president on January 15, 2003. Gutierrez is backed by indigenous groups (70% of Ecuador’s population) and runs on a platform of creating national unity, fighting corruption, and finding solutions to poverty.