President Lucio Gutiérrez of Ecuador is going to jog to work once a week to show his civil servants how to save money.

The former military officer jogs six kilometres from his home in northern Quito to his office in the Palacio de Carondelet on Fridays.

The poor Andean country is facing a serious fiscal deficit and Gutiérrez has introduced tough austerity measures.

The president has banned civil servants from using official cars and has banned officials from travelling first class.

Newspaper Extra reports that he has also banned overtime and is planning to sell off non-essential buildings, including some embassies.