Chastened by stinging loses in elections over the weekend, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa is asking for his cabinet's resignation and vows to reshape his political party.  But he warns the changes in the landscape could make the country ungovernable.

“There will be a cabinet crisis,” Correa said, adding that “The problem isn't the government; it could win many posts.  We believe in any case that fresh air is needed.”

During the campaign, Correa accused many opposition candidates of having links to “fascists” – mirroring the concerns of his allies in Venezuela, where right-wingers organized street protests that have resulted in more than a dozen deaths.  But leveling such accusations isn’t going to get the cooperation he needs to continue the Socialist “Citizen’s Revolution” the defining feature of his government, a project which aims to reduce poverty and social inequality.  Opposition candidates won control of local governments in Quito and the industrial city Cuenca.  And the opposition maintained control of the economic capital and port city of Guayaquil.

Analysts say the election results reflect voter dissatisfaction with the Correa administration's perceived interference in local government and harsh criticism of opponents during the campaign, and it may force him to adopt a more conciliatory style.