The organization follows the ideas of the Peruvian communist leader Abimael Guzmán, founder and longtime chairman of the Shining Path in Peru.

Taking inspiration from the Shining Path, PCE-SR advocates for the peasant seizure of farmlands, electoral boycotting, and violence against state institutions.

[3] The ideological basis for the PCE-SR originates from the Peruvian Shining Path with the aspiration of implementing the contributions of Gonzalo Thought to the conditions of Ecuador.

[14] In 2007, a documentary titled Alfaro Vive Carajo: Del Sueño al Caos (From Dream to Chaos) was released which gave testimonies by former AVC members.

[15] Puka Inti has been accused of being a direct puppet of Shining Path, though it asserts that it is only a supporter of Gonzalo Thought and of the broader international Maoist movement.