The Decade in Politics
1997

Whitewater, the democratic fund-raising scandal and rumors of sexual impropriety on the part of the Player in Chief — 1997 was a year many will remember as a series of presidential imbroglios. And yet in that year, our own presidential predicaments paled in comparison with those of an often overlooked South American country: Ecuador. Be forewarned — the story involves a lunatic, milk and an apartment block full of mistresses.

In 1996, a millionaire and sometime politician named Abdala Bucaram rode a wave of populist, anti-System sentiment into the presidency, a furor which he had fueled with his claim to be a "force for the poor" against the neo-liberal policies of his predecessors. Bucaram, also known as "El Loco," bucked the rather staid Ecuadorian political scene with stunts like touring at the head of a rock band, raising money for the poor by shaving his moustache and handing out free cartons of his own brand of milk, Abdaleche.

His campaign antics led to a lot of light-hearted jesting about his sanity, but Bucaram was out to prove to his critics that he wasn't just your run-of-the-mill wacky politician. While in office, Bucaram maintained his notoriety through such public acts as a lavish reception for Ecuadorian-born Lorena Bobbit; he also rented several apartments in a single, downtown Quito building for several of his mistresses — with government funds, of course. He even installed his relatives and friends in key financial and customs positions, the better to implement his plan to drain several millions of dollars from the national coffers.

Eventually, Bucaram was caught, but therein lay the catch — in its rush to democracy in the late 1970s, Ecuador had forgotten to add an important line to its constitution; basically, there was no legal way to remove or prosecute the president while in office. Unless, that is, his opponents could prove him incompetent. And so in March, 1997, without so much as a psychological evaluation, the Congress declared him unfit to serve for reasons of insanity. Bucaram barricaded himself in the presidential palace, declaring war on his enemies. Eventually he capitulated and fled to Panama.

But it seems, in retrospect, there was a method to the madness of "El Loco" — in the days following his ouster, Bucaram's stalling allowed him to plunder the presidential palace, stealing paintings, nabbing furniture and cutting $14 million in checks over a three-day period. The total take was estimate at over $100 million.

— Clay Risen (clay@flakmag.com)