2023-05-17 16:55:09
12:23 PM
After the National Assembly initiate a new impeachment trial against him for alleged corruption, The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, surprised this Wednesday with the announcement to dissolve the Legislative, opposition majority, and thus call elections for that body as well as for the Presidency.
“This It is the best decision to give a constitutional solution to the political crisis and internal commotion that Ecuador is enduring and return to the Ecuadorian people the power to decide their future in the next elections,” Lasso said in a speech.
This movement of the Ecuadorian president, in power since 2021, is known as “cross death”, a figure that was incorporated into the 2008 Constitution in the government of former President Rafael Correa, precisely the leader of the opposition to Lasso.
The mechanism, which appears in Article 148 of the Ecuadorian Constitution, allows the president on duty, ultimately, dissolve the National Assembly, call legislative and presidential elections and govern by issuing decrees for six months before his successor takes power.
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Article 148 textually states that: “The President of the Republic may dissolve the National Assembly when, in her opinion, it has assumed functions that do not correspond to it constitutionally, after a favorable ruling from the Constitutional Court; or if it repeatedly or unjustifiably obstructs the execution of the National Development Plan or due to serious political crisis and internal commotion”, the latter was Lasso’s argument to apply the “cross death”.
The article also warns that said power It can only be exercised “once in the first three years of his mandate”, Lasso has been in office for two years and his government was agreed to until 2025.
Likewise, the article states that “within a maximum period of seven days after the publication of the decree of dissolution, The National Electoral Council will convene legislative and presidential elections on the same date for the rest of the respective periods”.
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Why did Guillermo Lasso apply the “cross death” in Ecuador?
So things, Executive Decree 741 signed by the president, refers to the political crisis that the country is going through. In it, Lasso accused the National Assembly of “a desire for destabilization contrary to the obligation of collaboration and coordination between public entities and State powers.”
“The political events that have arisen since the beginning of the presidential term show that the National Assembly and the opposition blocs have continuously sought to obstruct the Executive through two requests for dismissal and two requests for revocation of the mandate from the year 2021; In addition, the lack of collaboration on the part of the National Assembly, regarding the different legislative initiatives sent by the President of the Republic, have affected governability and the normal development of public policies”is read in a section of Executive Decree 741.
With Article 148 in place, Lasso already began to govern through decree-laws, the first “the Decree Law for the Strengthening of the Family Economy”.
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“I signed the Decree Law for the Strengthening of the Family Economy with which we lower taxes for families, popular businesses, taxi drivers and artisans. Now the Constitutional Court of Ecuador must issue its opinion for it to enter into force “was Lasso’s announcement on his Twitter account on the morning of this Wednesday, May 17.
This is the first time that an Ecuadorian president applies the “cross death” which, according to political analysts, is also a political suicide for Lasso, who could run as a candidate in the next elections, but he would risk losing at the polls.
Rafael Correa reacted
Former President Rafael Correa, in whose mandate the “cross death” was included in the 2008 Constitution, accused Lasso of resorting to Article 148 illegally.
“Ecuadorians: this is illegal. It is obvious that there is no state of internal commotion, but a political trial in application of the Constitution. In any case, it is the great opportunity to send Lasso, his government and his legislators for hire home. Today closer than ever. Until victory always! ”, Correa wrote on his Twitter account.
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