Ecuador Congress backs Correa's referendum plan

By Alonso Soto

QUITO (Reuters) - Leftist Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa won a major victory on Tuesday when Congress approved his request for a referendum on rewriting the politically unstable country's constitution.

Many opposition lawmakers are hostile to the referendum plan, saying Correa is a threat to democracy and could lead Ecuador the way of Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez has declared a socialist revolution.

But Correa, a political outsider popular for promising to curb the influence of traditional parties, finally won Congress' majority backing after weeks of negotiations and street demonstrations by his supporters.

His plan was passed with the support of 57 lawmakers in the 100-member Congress. Only one opposition politician voted against but dozens of others earlier walked out in protest.

"This is a victory for the people," Interior Minister Gustavo Larrea told reporters.

The approval came less than two weeks after hundreds of the president's supporters stormed Congress to demand the referendum, battled police on the streets and forced lawmakers to evacuate the building.

Ecuador's top election tribunal set April 15 for the referendum date, a court official told local radio.

Correa's movement has no formal representatives in Congress but the former economy minister has drawn strong public support with his vows for a "citizens revolution" in a country where instability has toppled three presidents in a decade.

RATTLING WALL STREET

Elected in November, Correa has rattled Wall Street and Washington with pledges to restructure Ecuador's foreign debt and end a lease allowing the U.S. military to use an air base.

He has also firmly allied himself with Venezuela's Chavez, the fiery leader of a growing anti-U.S. bloc in Latin America.

Correa says constitutional reforms are needed to limit the influence of corrupt political elites on institutions such as the Supreme Court and the electoral authority.

But opposition lawmakers say he wants to push through reforms giving him sweeping powers like those enjoyed by Chavez. Some fear he may try to dissolve Congress and change the law so that he can run for a second term.

"Today the constitution has been broken," opposition congressman Federico Perez said after the vote on Tuesday. "I really hope our country doesn't fall in to communism."

Voters will be asked whether to approve the formation of a 130-member special assembly -- made up of lawmakers, leaders of social groups and ordinary citizens -- to rewrite the constitution.