Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said Thursday that the leftist governments in Latin America are facing “a new Cold War,” which seeks to “annihilate them” through strategies of political destabilization.

The statements of the socialist leader come as opposition groups, including many from the far-right, are planning a new series of protests against his government.

“It is not a coincidence that the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela are currently facing alleged social unrest in a particularly difficult year in economic terms, following the fall in prices of raw materials and the appreciation of the dollar,” Correa said during a meeting with with a truck driver union allied with the government.

Correa has previously denounced the right-wing opposition plans to overthrow his government during protests, which he described as a “soft coup” tactic. Correa was victim to a failed attempt by the right to overthrow him on Sept. 30, 2010. Now he says the same forces are using violence on the streets and an economic warfare to weaken progressive governments.

The opposition in Ecuador has announced it will conduct a national strike on Aug. 13, however, leaders from various labor and indigenous groups have said they are willing to dialogue with the Correa administration to air their demands in a peaceful way.

Since 2007, Correa's Citizens' Revolution, Ecuador has been one of the most stable economies in Latin America. After decades of turmoil, including the 1999 financial crisis prompted by a bank bailout, which resulted in mass unemployment, mass migration, inflation and poverty, his government has lifted an estimated 1.1 million people out of poverty.