President Guillermo Lasso is suspected of neglecting to tackle corruption in state-owned companies.
17.5. 16:58
Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso has ordered the dissolution of the country’s parliament. According to the presidential decree, new parliamentary elections should now be held in the country.
If Lasso’s maneuver is successful, he may lead Ecuador with his own rules until the elections. According to the Ecuadorian constitution, the president has the right to dissolve parliament, but the seizure is suspected of destabilizing the country. The President has never dissolved the Parliament in Ecuador before.
The opposition-controlled parliament was currently debating the impeachment of the highly unpopular Lasso over corruption charges. Lasso has denied the allegations. The dissolution of Parliament saved him from the impeachment vote.
Lasso is suspected of neglecting to intervene in corruption in state-owned companies. One of the suspects is Lasso’s brother-in-law, Danilo Carrera.
In December, Pedro Castillo, the then President of Peru, tried to dissolve his country’s parliament in a similar situation. Castillo was arrested the same day and is now in custody awaiting trial.
Ecuador’s parliament tried to oust Lasso last summer, but even then there was not enough support for impeachment.
