{"id":4098,"date":"2012-11-12T14:53:21","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T19:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/?p=4098"},"modified":"2012-11-12T16:13:40","modified_gmt":"2012-11-12T21:13:40","slug":"alvaro-noboa-60-percent-of-the-country-is-anticorrea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/news\/alvaro-noboa-60-percent-of-the-country-is-anticorrea\/","title":{"rendered":"Alvaro Noboa: “60 percent of the country is Anticorre\u00edsta”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u00c1lvaro<\/a>

\u00c1lvaro Noboa y su perro Goliath. (Fuente: El Expreso)<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019VE RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY TO FACE THE POLITICAL PERSECUTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an interview conceded to Expreso <\/em>Newspaper, \u00c1lvaro Noboa stated that his return to the country is an act of responsibility and a commitment to Ecuador.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a clear conscience.\u00a0 And \u00a0I feel very good because I have received congratulations from many citizens who see my return as an act of bravery.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the country arrest, that prohibits him from leaving the country, Noboa stated, \u201cI am conscious of being a prisoner in my own country. But, despite all that, I decided to return to face the situation.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Referring to the accusations by the IRS, he stated, that they were false and unfair, <\/em><\/strong>all you have to do is look at my tax returns, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many citizens who are aware that what they are demanding is an abuse. They are trying to get 140 times more from us than what Dole <\/em>alone paid in 2005.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Noboa once again insisted that he is the largest taxpayer in the country.\u00a0 \u201cMy sister, Isabel, Eljuri and Fidel Egas are bigger millionaires than I am. And I pay more taxes than them.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Interview:<\/h2>\n

\u00c1lvaro Noboa: \u201860% of the country is anti-Correa\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018My sister, Isabel, Ejuri and Fidel Egas are bigger millionaires than I am. And I pay more taxes than them.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Why did you return to the country?<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Because it\u2019s my responsibility.<\/p>\n

– Responsibility to whom?<\/strong><\/p>\n

– With Ecuador. I had to withstand the political persecution.<\/p>\n

– Demanding you pay all your taxes is persecution? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– No. Persecution is scaring, threatening, alarming people.<\/p>\n

– And were you scared? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– I have a clear conscience. I feel very good because I have received congratulations from many citizens who see my return as an act of bravery.<\/p>\n

– But now you can\u2019t leave. Wouldn\u2019t it have been better to remain living in the comforts offered abroad? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– I am conscious of being a prisoner in my own country. But, despite all that, I decided to return to face the situation.<\/p>\n

– And to return as a presidential candidate once more, even though you could lose again? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– I\u2019ll remind you that I won the first round in 2006, against the current President of the Republic. I have been a finalist on three occasions, and when I ran against Jamil Mahuad, I won, but they stole it from me.<\/p>\n

– Did you come because of some kind of political deal to neutralize the other opposition candidates? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– By no means. What political deal could there be in the same state of indefensibility and persecution? I came because many citizens asked me to stand again for the elections, because they consider there to be much to do in Ecuador.<\/p>\n

– Even though President Correa is leading by far in the polls? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– Yes, though the campaign hasn\u2019t even started yet.<\/p>\n

– Do you really believe that you can get to the second round and beat Correa? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– Of course, I believe it. If not, I wouldn\u2019t take part.<\/p>\n

– If you win, would you change everything that\u2019s been done by the current government?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, instead I would strengthen President Correa\u2019s excellent social work.<\/p>\n

– You agree with Correa? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– In the social arena, yes. I am in agreement with his handling of the vouchers.\u00a0 I applaud his work in highways and healthcare, as well. He\u2019s done a great job. It would be absurd to deny that.<\/p>\n

– So, what sense does it make to run for President of the Republic if the actual president is doing everything well? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– No, I didn\u2019t say that. I applaud his social work, which is undeniable. But I criticize his inability to conquer poverty, that he has not generated production, that he doesn\u2019t respect freedom of expression and that there is no autonomy of powers, especially judicially.<\/p>\n

– And you would be respectful of the freedom of expression and would maintain distance from the other functions of state? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– I would do that, and much more. I would bring thousands of private companies to the country to generate jobs, to raise the quality and technical knowledge of the people and, as a consequence, to support the ability of workers to leave poverty and to form part of the middle classes thanks to an honorable salary.<\/p>\n

– According to you, therefore, Correa\u2019s failure is related to generating productivity. <\/strong><\/p>\n

– Ecuador\u2019s problem is that there is so much poverty wherever one looks. Esmeraldas, Manab\u00ed, the indigenous Sierra, etcetera. Correa has not eradicated poverty. That is very clear.<\/p>\n

– At bottom, we are suspicious. We could just as well believe that you returned in order to become a candidate and to neutralize the other Presidential aspirants\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

– That\u2019s not it. I am in a clear second place in the polls, after Economist Correa, who still has an ample advantage. And I am at least four or five points of those who come after me.<\/p>\n

– So, do you think you can bring that anti-Correa vote together? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– Yes, indeed, yes. But even if Correa has a strong showing, if you put together all the other tendencies, anti-Correa feeling is more than 60%.<\/p>\n

– That would be your revenge. To win over him, in the second round, who took it from you in the same way in 2006. <\/strong><\/p>\n

– Although I am not the vengeful kind, it\u2019s obvious that those who are anti-Correa now are not going to change their mind in the next months. So that possibility is real.<\/p>\n

– Does candidate Guillermo Lasso appear a strong adversary to you? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– According to my polls, he is falling. And although they deny it, my surveys have never been wrong. When they have said that I will come in first, it\u2019s been that way. And when they have said that I\u2019ll come in second, it\u2019s also been right.<\/p>\n

– You don\u2019t believe that Lasso is a candidate who can fight you for second place, besides being the most visible of the opposition? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– I don\u2019t think so. I say it with respect, but firmly. They say he has spent between $7 million and $10 million dollars when he began his campaign, and that created a lot of impact among a certain group of Ecuadorians. But not anymore. And on top of that, the Auki Titua\u00f1a<\/em>, instead of favoring him has weakened him.<\/p>\n

– The proposal to raise the voucher to $50 dollars was a good move, or a mistake by Lasso? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– A serious mistake. It damages the bank\u2019s image. It probably had a big impact on him and all his banking colleagues, and it automatically produced a lowering in the value of Ecuadorian banks, because no one wants to buy a bank here because they are afraid that the Government will intervene in their profits and is ready to buy them.<\/p>\n

– Do you think you might at some time join forces with him? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– I visited with him and invited him, but just like Lucio Guti\u00e9rrez, his response was that he wanted to be the Presidential candidate, and that Anabella Az\u00edn be the Vice-Presidential candidate. I can\u2019t accept that because my wife, Anabella, is very popular and has huge draw among voters.<\/p>\n

– You didn\u2019t consider about integrating behind one sole right-wing candidate? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– No, because I am not of the right-wing. He is the right-wing, and I say it with respect. I am center-leftist.<\/p>\n

– A center-left multi-millionaire?<\/strong><\/p>\n

– There are many examples throughout the world of people with a lot of money and yet with an ideology that favors the poor. The Kennedys have been center-leftist. Ted Turner, the owner of CNN is center-left.<\/p>\n

– What does it mean to be center-left? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– To be with the poor, to generate jobs, to raise their standard of living. Once, being a leftist leader at university, I even ended up in jail under the Rodr\u00edguez Lara dictatorship.<\/p>\n

– What have you learned from your failures? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– To never rest on my laurels. When I beat Correa in the first round of 2006, I failed. I didn\u2019t know what to do with that many votes, and I allowed the vote to slide in the second round.<\/p>\n

– The lesson being not to become over-confident\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

– That\u2019s the lesson. In politics, one has to give one\u2019s best effort every day, and this time I am going to give it my all to reach the Presidency.<\/p>\n

– But your rivals attack you for your fame for not having paid taxes. They say that you are a banana-producing exploiter\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n

– That is false. You can see my tax returns and see that that [the accusation] is unfair. There are many citizens who are aware that what they are demanding is an abuse. They are trying to get 140 times more from us than what Dole <\/em>alone paid in 2005.<\/p>\n

– You have said that you are not the owner of the company in dispute. Where does your money come from, then? What do you live from? Your house is an demonstration of your economic power\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n

I live very well thanks to the salary that I earn in the companies that I administer. They are trusteeships and other administrative structures that my father left. Others are the rich of Ecuador.<\/p>\n

– Who are those others? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– My sister, Isabel, Mr. Eljuri, Mr. Fidel Egas\u2026. I have to say, that as a personal taxpayer, I pay more taxes than any of those. I definitely pay more than Guillermo Lasso.<\/p>\n

– What will be your electoral strategy this time, if your aim is to beat Rafael Correa? <\/strong><\/p>\n

– To achieve that there is a second round and to bring together the anti-Correa vote. In that way, I will become President of the Republic.<\/p>\n

Published in Expreso <\/em>Newspaper of Ecuador<\/p>\n

http:\/\/expreso.ec\/expreso\/plantillas\/nota.aspx?idart=3851212&idcat=19308&tipo=2<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019VE RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY TO FACE THE POLITICAL PERSECUTION In an interview conceded to Expreso Newspaper, \u00c1lvaro Noboa stated that his return to the country is an act of responsibility and a commitment to Ecuador. \u201cI have a clear conscience.\u00a0 And \u00a0I feel very good because I have received congratulations from many citizens who see my return as an act of bravery.\u201d Given the country arrest, that prohibits him from leaving the country, Noboa stated, \u201cI am conscious of being a prisoner in my own country. But, despite all that, I decided to return to face the situation.” Referring to the accusations by the IRS, he stated, that they were false and unfair, all you have to do is look at my tax returns, he said. \u201cThere are many citizens who are aware that what they are demanding is Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4098"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4098"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4119,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4098\/revisions\/4119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alvaronoboa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}