In popular expat havens likes Cuenca, there was no serious disruptions to residents daily lives

I saw the “revolution” news from Ecuador last Friday morning, October 1st. CNN’s coverage started off in typical fashion with these words: “Ecuador’s government appeared teetering on the verge of collapse Thursday…”

I read about how Ecuador’s president had recently been kidnapped and held hostage during a coup that was in progress.

In fact, this wasn’t the case…although admittedly, there were conflicting accounts at the time.

As it turns out, the president was not kidnapped by police…there was no coup attempt…and in fact, it was not even a centrally-organized protest, but rather a “take to the streets” reaction to an unpopular new law.

It was pretty much “business as usual” by Sunday morning.

Here’s what happened at the end of last week, when the U.S.-educated president’s confrontational style landed him in a dangerous situation.

As part of an austerity program to control the budget, President Correa was pushing through a new law that changes the compensation structure for public employees, including the national police department. This unpopular law inspired a widespread protest among the police, who took control of many of their barracks around the country. The high command of both the police and military remained in support of the president.

According to the BBC, President Correa walked up to the main police barracks in the capital to confront a large group of protestors, and explain what he felt was a misunderstanding. The debate became more and more heated. He soon lost his infamous temper, and tore at his shirt while he said: “If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough.”

When a tear gas canister went off near the president, he was whisked by loyal police into a nearby hospital where he could be protected, and was later evacuated by the military.

In the historic district of Cuenca—Ecuador’s leading expat location—there was a late-morning caravan of two or three dozen police trucks supporting the strike. But according to officials, all police returned to work before noon.

In the afternoon, several hundred University students marched to the main plaza for a peaceful demonstration in support of the president. Police were on the scene, directing traffic around the gathering that grew to about 2,000 by 5.00 p.m.

I spoke with IL correspondent David Morrill in Cuenca, and he told me “…most of us took it in stride, with no serious disruptions to our daily lives. There were some store, bank and airport closures Thursday afternoon. But everything was open again Friday, and today (Saturday) it’s as if nothing happened.” David went on to say “There never was a ‘coup’ attempt, only an unwise decision by Correa to wander into a mob of armed police protesters. If he had not done that, of course, the protest would not have made international news“.

So it’s business as usual, after a brief diversion.

But don’t get me wrong. “Business as usual” does not mean Canadian-style political stability.

Ecuador is not known for its politically calm waters, especially when it comes to keeping someone in the president’s office. In my experience with Ecuador, there were seven presidents in 10 years; three of whom were drummed out of office and forced to flee the country. But in each case, these events had no effect on the life of the expats living there, and in fact, most Ecuadorians I know also met the ousters with a shrug.

I also talked to another friend, expat Mike Sager. Mike lives on the coast, where people are even farther removed from the politics of Quito than the folks in Cuenca.

Mike told me “…I know I am not packing my bags, and neither are any of the other people I know here. Last night, the day after the event, myself and three couples visiting from the U.S. were walking the streets on the way to have dinner, and it was as if nothing had happened. Surprisingly, none of those three couples—who are in the process of buying properties here—had second thoughts about their decision to choose Ecuador for their overseas dream.”

John Curran writes from Vilcabamba that it’s “business as usual.” (You can read a detailed report about what happened in Ecuador last week from John here.)

And that pretty much sums up my own experience in Ecuador. I find that the expats who choose Ecuador in the first place typically don’t fret about events that have no effect on themselves or their properties.

Even when Ecuador actually ousted President Gutiérrez in 2005, expats continued to arrive in record numbers. Their practical attitude and sense of adventure—combined with the great weather and low cost of living—was more than enough to outweigh what they were reading in the media.

Editor’s note: To find out if Ecuador is still right for you, read this report.