In the midst of the darkness in which we live due to the general violence and uncertainty caused by early elections, two lightnings cut the sky and two thunderbolts shook us: one, that of the timid action of the Constitutional Court (CC) which only dismissed the president of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (CCCCS ) and pardoned, without reason, the other members of the Council who, with their votes, contributed to disobeying the mandate to respect the decisions of the Transitional Council chaired by Julio César Trujillo; the other, that of the murders in prisons of the seven alleged killers involved in the murder of Fernando Villavicencio.

The decision of the Constitutional Court on the dismissal of Alembert Vera divided the opinions of consulted lawyers

In the case of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control, the crime was committed at the time of the vote in which the mandate protecting the decisions of the Transitional Council was contradicted; All members who voted in this sense had to be dismissed, without exception. All the arrogance and maneuvers of the SKPZS president may represent aggravating circumstances, but the crime is constituted by voting; The voice of Dr. Enrique Herrería saved in the Constitutional Court shows that all members of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control who joined the President’s vote must be removed. Victor Hugo said that the Law cannot stand, like the Colossus of Rhodes, with its feet on two shores.

The second lightning, whose thunder is even more deafening, is that of the murder of Villavicencio’s alleged killers in the prisons of Guayaquil and Quito. The President of the Republic reorganized the police and prison command, keeping the Minister of Internal Affairs in charge of internal security, so tensions will continue.

‘Partocracy’ and ‘the people’

They dismissed the commander and director of the Police Intelligence Service, whom we assume the minister will point out as responsible for the terrible omissions. Based on my training and experience, I believe there is a fundamental error: the rejection of civilian control of the military, military and police commands. In the case that concerns us, it turns out that in recent years the Minister of the Interior is a police officer, and the one who follows him in command is the Commander-in-Chief, who is the highest police officer; In this case, things are even more difficult, because the current minister is a policeman of a lower rank than the general. Very serious things, which those of us who have been trained in the military understand better.

Remember that in the United States, President Donald Trump, who was determined to appoint his retired general friend as Secretary of Defense, had to get express authorization from the Senate to do so because it was against tradition. This gruesome slaughter of the alleged killers will have serious political repercussions for the current leaders, including the interior minister. The functions of this ministry should be taken over by the Government, as it has been until now. This division of functions weakened power and security. (OR)