Ecuador's new civilian president Gustavo Noboa entered Government Palace to begin work Sunday one day after a military coup sparked by the nation's severe economic crisis brought him to power. 'Peace, progress and justice,' Noboa Ecuador's fifth president in three years said while waving to reporters on the balcony of the colonial Government Palace surrounded by elite armed troops. Reuters.

``While we regret the circumstances that led for President Mahuad to call for public support for a Noboa presidency his magnanimous gesture paves the way for restoring the country to constitutional order,'' said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

Since President Noboa took office on Sunday January 23 it is a little too early to tell. Most of the Indians occupying the capital of Quito have left the city citing disappointment with the outcome of their struggles. The Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio has the continuing story in Spanish. Up until dawn on Saturday their spirits were high expecting the trio of an army officer a representative of the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador (Conaie) and an ex-Supreme Court judge to take office. However when the army announced it supported Noboa the Indians denounced it as betrayal of their cause. Antonio Vargas president of Conaie said

"hemos sido traicionados por el alto mando de las Fuerzas Armadas y sabemos que dentro de unos 10 minutos entrará la Policía y nos pedirá el desalojo del Congreso".

(We have been betrayed by the high command of the Armed Forces and we know that within 10 minutes the Police will come in and will ask us to vacate Congress)

And that is what happened. They left the government buildings adjourned to a nearby park where earlier they had amassed and after discussion and a promise from Vargas that the indigenous uprising would continue that they would continue fighting for their rights the indians slowly dispersed. Quito gradually got back to normal.

The economic situation which is a large factor in this latest government turnover has not changed in a day. Ecuador suffers from an economic depression that sent shock waves through the financial world last year when the country defaulted on its international loans. The labor force in the country is hugely underutilized and the cost of living keeps rising.

Whether Noboa will succeed where ex-President Jamil Mahuad failed in the "dollarization" of Ecuador's economy is anyone's guess.

What does this mean for travelers to Ecuador?

It would be easy to dismiss this as just another of the changes in the presidency (five presidents in three years) and business as usual but until the situation has time to smooth out any rough edges I would caution travelers to be cautious.

Consult your consulate before traveling to Ecuador. Consult your travel agency and if possible check with people in Ecuador for a first hand reading of the situation. Above all safety first.

What do you think? Post your opinion on the forum at   Is it safe to travel in Ecuador?