¿Crisis en el Ecuador?

Ecuador, the country of my birth, is making a rare appearance on the news today, first with word that President Lucio Gutierrez had dismissed the Supreme Court and declared a state of emergency, followed by street protests in the capital, Quito. Fortunately the latest news say he has lifted the state of emergency. But there is concern now of growing instability. Reminiscent of the recent shows of "people power" in protests in Ukraine, Lebanon and Kyrgyzstan, thousands of people went into the streets in Quito in defiance of the state of emergency, and now are calling for the resignation of the President, who is accused of being increasingly dictatorial. I'm all for resistance against dictators. My hope is that the protests encourage the democratic process, rather than replacing the dictatorship of one person with the dictatorship of the mob.