On Tuesday, Ecuador’s Electoral Dispute Settlement Court (TCE) ratified the removal of Quito Mayor Jorge Yunda and supported that Vice-Mayor Santiago Guarderas headed the office.
RELATED:
Ecuadorian Teachers on Hunger Strike
“The Yunda removal consultation is now legally notified," TCE claimed, adding that this resolution has no pending appeals. With this ruling, TCE reconfirmed the decision taken on July 1, when it ruled with five votes the legitimacy of the process carried out by the Metropolitan Council, which led to Yunda leaving his post.
On July 30, however, the Justice Court of the Pichincha province ratified Yunda’s position as Quito Mayor and stressed that he was elected by popular vote in the 2019 sub-national elections.
Since last year, the Ecuadorian right-wing has been trying to control the Quito Mayor's Office, seeking to create better political conditions for its participation in the sub-national elections to be held in 2023.
The video shows the moment in which the Mayor of Quito is attacked by a right-wing councilman
In this process, the Christian Social Party and its allies blamed Yunda for a corruption scheme linked to the purchase of 100,000 COVID-19 tests.
On Wednesday night, while Mayor Yunda was giving a speech commemorating Independence Day, he was beaten up by Fernando Morales, a Concertation party councilman who shouted at him to resign.
The Quito Mayor indicated that these attacks are part of the far-right politicians' complot. “They will do anything to come to power, but I am here to work for and with people. There is still a lot to do. I will not give up," he replied.