President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, signs ‘cross death’ and dissolves Parliament

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The keys to the impeachment trial against Lasso, who is entering his final stretch in Ecuador | TimeThis Tuesday begins the final phase of the political trial in which the National Assembly of Ecuador must decide whether or not President Guillermo Lasso continues in office. What will the process be like in Congress? What scenarios are expected? Does Lasso have the votes to save himself? Analysis.

The president made the announcement this Wednesday morning at a press conference.

One day after the first day of the political trial in which the removal of his position would be decided, The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, signed this Wednesday the so-called “cross death”, a mechanism that allows him to dissolve Congress to make way for early elections.

The reason behind the decision of the 67-year-old president is to avoid the motion of no confidence that was called in the National Assembly and that would be voted on in the coming weeks.

Lasso had given a speech in the Assembly this Tuesday proclaiming his “unquestionable” innocence in front of the accusations of alleged embezzlement.

What is ‘cross death’?

🔴 NOW:
President Guillermo Lasso signs a decree where he dissolves the National Assembly due to a serious political crisis and internal commotion. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/iy3KmTcqHH

— Ana María Cañizares S. 💎 (@anniecanizares) May 17, 2023

The so-called “cross death” is a figure that allows the current president to dissolve Congress to make way for early general elections.

“That is when there could potentially be a social problem, a real instability” due to the power struggles and gaps left by that figure, political scientist Esteban Nichols, from the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, told AFP.

The dissolution was implemented by the Correa government (2007-2017) and would be the first time it has been applied. For Oyarte, this mechanism would be a “political irresponsibility” that would benefit the left of Correísmo in the case of elections before the hour.

Minute by minute

President says the country will continue to function

The president affirmed that Ecuador will not stop and that the Police and the Armed Forces will continue to operate, as will the economic sector.

“Let’s build together a better future for Ecuador,” he added.

President defends his decision

Lasso affirmed that the death cross is a democratic decision “not only because it is constitutional but because it returns to the Ecuadorian people, to you, the power to decide their future in the next elections. This is the best possible decision.”

Lasso announces dissolution of the Assembly

Lasso affirmed that in order to give Ecuador a constitutional solution, has decided to apply article 148 of the constitution of the republic that grants it the power to dissolve the Assembly by serious political crisis and internal commotion.

Furthermore, he announced that requested the call for elections immediately.

“I have requested the National Electoral Council to immediately call legislative and presidential elections for the rest of the respective periods,” he said.

Accuse the legislators

Lasso criticized the legislators and stated: “They have been obsessed with ending my government, driven by a superhuman grudge; however, they have been unable to find any evidence against me, because there is nothing to find.”

“The attack on the management of this government has no limits,” he added.

7 am

Lasso decrees the cross death

The president gave a speech to the nation in which he stated that Ecuador cannot advance or solve the country’s problems with an “Assembly whose job is to destabilize democracy.”

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