EVER since the violent birth of neoliberalism in the 1973 coup in Chile, its Latin American cheerleaders have pushed for a minimal role for the state in the economy but an active one for it in repressing those opposed to free-market extremism.

Ecuador in recent years has been a clear example of this approach. But a new coalition, the Union for Hope, which announced its Presidential candidates this week, is seeking not only to resist this neo-liberal offensive but to restore the social progress and vibrant democracy that made Latin America a beacon for the global left at the turn of the century.

Ecuador had one of the most successful governments in that progressive wave. Under President Rafael Correa, poverty fell by a third, Ecuador achieved the region’s greatest reduction in inequality, strong economic growth, huge investments in healthcare and education alongside radical tax justice and debt cancellation polices.