Otto Arosemena - Presidency

Presidency

Arosemena's ascent to power bolstered the confidence that the country had started to enjoy since the beginning of Yerovi's short administration, so that national and foreign investors brought capital and began important negotiations that led to national development. In an attempt to allay concerns about his being a dangerous leftist (as Velasco's vice president he had expressed warm sympathy for Cuban leader Fidel Castro Ruz and made a much- criticized trip to the Soviet Union), Arosemena named a cabinet that included Liberals and even Conservatives and quickly sent former President Galo Plaza on a goodwill trip to Washington.

At the time, Ecuadorians believed that the return to a constitutional regime had brought good luck to their country, when in early March 1967 oil began to flow from Lago Agrio Well #1 in northeast Ecuador.

In this year, Arosemena attended the meeting of Presidents of American states that was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay. At this meeting, he expressed frank opinions with respect to the US policy toward countries of Latin America, and the failure of the Alliance for Progress Program. He was the only attendee who refused to sign the Declaration of American Presidents, because he found it insufficient and lacking in practical content, as was demonstrated years later.

Among the main achievements of his government was the creation of the Ministry of Public Health, the construction of the National Unity Bridge (today called the Rafael Mendoza Avilés Bridge), the expansion of the Manta seaport, the Ambato-Riobamba and El Empalme-Quevedo highways, the electrification of Manabí and the Santa Elena Peninsula, the restoration of the Quito-Guayaquil railroad, and fostering telecommunications. He also carried out a plan of school building--perhaps his most important accomplishment--that at its height resulted in the construction of 1.7 schools per day.

His government, thought short, greatly increased Ecuador's development and ensured the consolidation of democracy. In accordance with the law, he called presidential elections, and Velasco Ibarra won for his fifth and final time. Arosemena finished his term on August 31, 1968.

Arosemena's political adversaries later attacked his policies, particularly with respect to oil policy. He responded by writing the book Infamy and Truth (Infamia y verdad), in which he addresses his administration's oil policy.