Ecuadorians must go to the polls on August 20 to elect president and 137 deputies in early elections after the dissolution of Congressthe National Electoral Council (CNE) reported on Wednesday.
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A week ago, the right-wing president Guillermo Lasso dissolved the unicameral National Assembly using his constitutional power, which contemplates early elections to complete the current four-year term, which expires in May 2025.
(You can read: Constitutional Court of Ecuador rejects demands against the dissolution of Congress)
The ruler decreed the dissolution due to a “serious political crisis and internal commotion” in the midst of the political trial to which he was subjected by the opposition majority of the Legislative, who accused him of embezzlement.
In a session held on Tuesday night and which lasted until dawn, the CNE approved early elections to be held on August 20.
(Also read: Ecuador could hold presidential and legislative elections in August)
If necessary, The ballot was scheduled for next October 15, according to a calendar released to the press by the highest electoral body..
The delivery of credentials to the assembly members is scheduled for October 26, according to the calendar released to the press by the highest electoral body, which will call for elections through radio and television on Wednesday night to comply with the law.
(You can read: ‘That macabre plan lost effectiveness’: Lasso speaks after dissolving the National Assembly)
The National Assembly has the power to install the president.
The legislators must then “convoke themselves immediately” to take office, the head of the CNE, Diana Atamaint, told the Ecuavisa channel on Wednesday.
For the elections of mayors and prefects last February, 13.4 million of the 18.2 million Ecuadorians were summoned.
(Also read: Ungovernability reappears in Ecuador after the dissolution of Congress)
Lasso, a former conservative banker who governed with an opposition congress controlled by sectors of the left and whose credibility fell to 10% in two years, will be able to run again without being re-elected, according to electoral authorities.
Despite the insecurity linked to drug trafficking, Ecuador lives calmly after the dissolution of the Legislature, which traditionally registers a high level of citizen distrust.
Institutional credibility in the dissolved National Assembly was 2%, according to the private polling firm Perfiles de Opinión.
(Also: Duque and other former presidents support Lasso’s decision to dissolve Congress in Ecuador)
AFP
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