Political crises in Ecuador have a deceptive habit of dissipating as quickly as the sun reappears after an Andean downpour, sometimes only to recur with greater force at a later date. And so it seemed this week, as the country quietened after the coup that overthrew its democratically elected president, Jamil Mahuad. In a nat- ional mood of shocked conciliation, Vice-President Gustavo Noboa, who had on January 22nd become Ecuador's fifth president in four years, seemed assured of a few months of tentative political support. But he must deal with the same devastating economic and financial problems that defeated Mr Mahuad, and will face some new political ones as well.
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