Ecuadorians demand impeachment against Lasso

Quito, Mar 27 (Prensa Latina) A group of Ecuadorians today demanded that the Constitutional Court admit the political trial against President Guillermo Lasso, who is accused of committing crimes against the public administration.

March 27, 2023
16:24

With a sit-in on the outskirts of the judicial body, in Quito, representatives of organizations such as the October 2 Committee, the National Citizen Assembly (ANC) and the Ecuadorian Communist Party asked the members of the Court to accept the request to dismiss Lasso.

“Get out, Lasso, get out” was the chorus repeated over and over again, supported by the horns of the cars that passed by, to show the judicial instance the opinion of the citizens regarding the request of the National Assembly (parliament) to prosecute the president.

One of the ANC activists, Pablo Iturralde, told Prensa Latina that they will remain mobilized this week, when the Court’s pronouncement is expected that could lead to impeachment.

Judge Teresa Nuques, who was appointed last Friday in a draw to give her opinion on the procedure, today presented her opinion to the rest of the magistrates, the content of which is still unknown.

Regardless of her decision to accept or not the impeachment, it is up to the nine members of the Court to decide the future of that mechanism provided for in the Constitution.

As of now, the president of the Court, Alí Lozada, has 24 hours to call a session and another 48 hours to issue the final ruling to determine whether to prosecute the ruler promoted by legislators Viviana Veloz, Mireya Pazmiño, Pedro Zapata and Rodrigo Fajardo.

The assembly members appeal to article 129.2 of the Magna Carta and accuse Lasso of committing the crimes of concussion and embezzlement for acts of corruption in the Coordinating Company of Public Companies, in Petroecuador, and in the Public Company Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana.

The Popular Unity party presented an amicus curiae to the Constitutional Court, which consists in delivering legal and formal arguments to support the decision to initiate a process of impeachment against the head of the Executive.

While the Government denies the accusations and describes them as destabilization attempts, social organizations support the end of Lasso’s mandate, not only because of these crimes, but also because of state abandonment.

The different processes of the political trial against President Lasso could take more than a month if it is admitted by the Constitutional Court.

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