Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa presented his annual address to the nation on Sunday in which he highlighted the numerous social gains achieved under the Citizens' Revolution. Despite the fall in international oil prices and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, Ecuador posted 4% economic growth, outperforming the rest of the region, while unemployment dropped to 4.1% and poverty fell 12.5 points. Public investment, at 15% of GDP, is the highest in the region, and has not been affected by the international scenario. Correa declared that in Ecuador it is the people, not big capital, international financial bureaucrats, or the local oligarchy, that rules. Liz Scherffius reports from Quito. teleSUR
