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News > Latin America

Ecuadorian Parliament Empowered to Impeach President Lasso

  • President Guillermo Lasso.

    President Guillermo Lasso. | Photo: Twitter/ @TelevisionMtz

Published 30 March 2023
Opinion

Guillermo Lasso is accused of being responsible for a corruption network that operated under the supervision of his brother-in-law.

On Wednesday night, the Constitutional Court authorized the Ecuadorian Parliament to process an impeachment for embezzlement against President Guillermo Lasso.

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The right-wing politician could be removed if 92 lawmakers decide to do so. These votes will be easily obtained since Lasso, who has governed with a style favorable to financial capital, has turned almost all parties against him.

Even certain right-wing business elites and parties, which supported the banker Lasso to reach the presidency, would be satisfied with his departure from office, explained Ramiro Aguilar, a former lawmaker and political analyst.

Lasso is accused of being politically responsible for a corruption network that operated in public companies under the supervision of his brother-in-law, businessman Danilo Carrera, who was being investigated by the police due to his ties to the Albanian mafia.

Audios leaked by La Posta journalists showed that President Lasso had knowledge of criminal investigations whose final report was kept confidential by the high police commanders.

If the impeachment occurs in the next month, Vice President Alfredo Borrero would become president and remain in office for the remaining two years of the term.

The tweet reads, "Don't miss this. Guillermo Lasso told the victims of the Alausi landslide to see in the tragedy an 'opportunity for economic recovery.' That is, he asked them to see the glass half full. No wonder they even wanted to lynch him when he left the place. What nonsense."

"The new president should lead a transitional government that pays attention to social issues, abandons neoliberalism, and seeks the support of progressive sectors," Aguilar said.

In reality, however, Lasso's fate was defined on February 5 when the overwhelming majority of Ecuadorians said "NO" in a referendum in which the right-wing politician sought to carry out constitutional reforms to gain more power.

On that date, Ecuadorians went also to subnational elections in which former President Rafael Correa's Citizen Revolution party and other leftist organizations conquered most of the country's mayors and prefectures.

"Lasso's mandate was effectively revoked. Since then, he has racked up major political setbacks that were aggravated by allegations of corruption in public companies, which spilled over to those very close to the President," Aguilar commented.

Not everything, however, is lost for Lasso. He might resort to "Cross Death", a legal resource that would allow him to dissolve Parliament, anticipate the elections, and govern through decrees for months.

This possibility, however, would deepen the governance crisis since social organizations and political parties will choose to actively mobilize in the streets.

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