ABSTRACT
The most important contribution of populism in Ecuadorean politics has been the massive incorporation of larger majorities of people into the national political process, making them a determining factor at least at the electoral level. Populism made its debut in Ecuador with the appearance of the Velasquista movement. Though it has never been formally organized as a political party, Velasquismo has exercised an overwhelming influence in national politics from 1933 until the present, during which period its caudillo, Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra, has repeatedly attracted mass popular support for a total of six presidential bids. Velasco analyzed intuitively the phenomenon of urban growth and he correctly interpreted its political significance. Velasco has repeatedly declared his ideological sympathies with liberalism, though the brand of liberalism he espouses is unencumbered by the religious prejudices that have characterized a majority of Ecuadorean Liberals.
