Buenos Aires Herald 
Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly in a decree on Wednesday, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections, a day after he presented his defense in an impeachment process.
“This is the best decision in order to provide a constitutional outlet to the political crisis and internal commotion that Ecuador is going through, and because it gives back to the people the possibility of deciding over their future,” tweeted Lasso, who has constantly accused Parliament of blocking his government.
“The Legislative Branch is focused on destabilizing the government with an infounded impeachment process,” said Lasso in a message to the country, while adding that the National Assembly is trying to take over his administration.
The 67-year old president also accused Parliament of being driven by “superhuman resentment,” that its attacks on the government “have no boundaries”, and that they never found any evidence against him.
The country’s constitution enshrines the so-called ‘two-way death’ -allowing Lasso to call elections for both his post and the assembly under certain circumstances, including if actions by the legislature are blocking the functioning of government.
Lasso invoked the ‘two-way death’ citing Ecuador’s grave political crisis.
Lasso will now remain in office for up to six months, ruling by decree, while national electoral authorities set the date for the elections.
Ecuador’s electoral court must decide on a date for new elections within seven days of the assembly’s dissolution.
Some lawmakers have said any dissolution would be unconstitutional and that they would refuse to comply.
Those voted into power in the early elections would only serve until the regularly-scheduled 2025 elections take place.
Lawmakers from the party of ex-President Rafael Correa -himself convicted of corruption- have led the impeachment charge and had pledged their 47 votes for removal.
The impeachment process was the first against an Ecuadorian president in decades.
Regarding the procedure, Lasso has always denied accusations that he turned a blind eye to alleged embezzlement related to a contract at state-owned oil transportation company Flopec.
He argues his administration made profitable changes to the deal, which was signed years before he took office, in order to benefit the state, on advice from Ecuador’s comptroller.
A majority of lawmakers backed a resolution saying Lasso allowed the corrupt contract to continue. However, a congressional oversight committee, which heard testimony from opposition lawmakers, officials and Lasso’s lawyer said in its report it did not recommend impeachment.
Ninety-two votes from the 137-member legislature would have been needed to remove Lasso from office. The vote to continue the process received 88.
-Herald/Agencies
