An historical event took place on January 15, 2003, barely noted by speculative international observers. As Lucio Gutierrez took the oath of office as president of Ecuador, and later repeated his campaign promises to eliminate Ecuador's infamous corruption and alleviate its extraordinary rural poverty, international press services focused on the guests at the inauguration ceremony, particularly Cuba's Fidel Castro, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.