Former coup leader elected
The week's news at a glance.
Quito, Ecuador
Ecuadoreans this week elected a former army colonel who once led a coup as their next president. The victory of Lucio Gutierrez, the darling of radical leftist groups, sent shivers through the business community. Gutierrez, 45, beat out billionaire banana magnate Alvaro Noboa, who warned that Gutierrez would ruin the economy, and compared him to embattled Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Gutierrez deflected the criticism, promising to fight corruption and woo investors. He even shed his trademark army fatigues, donned a business suit, and traveled to Wall Street to assure financiers that Ecuador would honor its foreign debt. “I am not a communist,” Gutierrez said. “I am a profoundly Christian man who respects private property and human rights.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Sudoku medium: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle