Losing power: Ecuador’s Correa hospitalized after retiring

QUITO, Ecuador – Walking away from the spotlight can be tough on any retiring head of state, but former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa’s party indicates his intense schedule during the final days in office may have made him ill.

Correa checked himself into a hospital with a high fever Wednesday after handing power to his hand-picked successor, Lenin Moreno.

He remained hospitalized Thursday and his party said in a statement that his intense schedule in the final days of his 10-year rule may have contributed to what doctors diagnosed as a case of pneumonia.

Correa remained ever the provocateur, sending a message to opponents who have relished his sudden reversal from populist strongman to hospitalized private citizen.

He said on Twitter: “I’ve got some bad news. There’s a chance I might survive.”