Impeachment proceeds against Ecuador’s chancellor for assault on the Mexican Embassy

The impeachment trial against the Chancellor of Ecuador, Gabriela Sommerfeld, enters its final phase today after the Oversight Commission of the National Assembly begins to receive testimonial evidence.

These would be the last actions of the judicial process in the first instance. Starting tomorrow, both the proponent of the trial, Jhajaira Urresta, of the Citizen Revolution movement, and Minister Sommerfeld, are expected to issue their final arguments, according to the approved schedule.

Then, the legislative board will prepare a report and the procedure will continue in August in the plenary session, which has the final say on whether or not the chancellor should be sanctioned and dismissed.

According to Urresta, on April 5, with the assault on the Mexican diplomatic headquarters to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, the Ecuadorian State violated a series of constitutional, legal norms and international treaties.

For their part, the benches of the Construye movement and the Social Christian Party (PSC) announced this Wednesday that they will not vote in favor of the dismissal and censure of the chancellor.

“Preventing Glas’s escape does not merit dismissal,” Construye announced in a statement, although he recognizes that the Government of Daniel Noboa had other options before invading an embassy.

The PSC bench considers that beyond the validity or not of the grounds for the impeachment, a censure of the chancellor can benefit Mexico in the lawsuit against Ecuador in the International Court of Justice.

Therefore, if the votes of these two groups are added to those of the official National Democratic Action bloc (ADN), as well as allies and independents, at this time it seems unlikely that Sommerfeld will leave office.

“Together with the legal team we will continue, with the truth, defending what was done, which is nothing more than fully fulfilling our delicate functions,” Chancellor Sommerfeld said in a statement on her social networks. The assault on the Mexican embassy led to the breaking of diplomatic relations with that country and complaints to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).