In Ecuador, Lasso faces a Parliament with an opposition majority due to a presidential vacancy

The President of Ecuador, William Lassowill defend himself tomorrow against the accusation of alleged embezzlement, during the beginning of a political trial of censorship in the National Assembly (Parliament), where the opposition emerged strengthened last Sunday with the appointment of the main authorities of the Chamber.

The session will begin at 10:00 local time (15:00 GMT), in Parliament, two days after its authorities were renewed, leaving the majority of senior officials in the hands of the opposition.

With 96 votes, the independent Virgilio Saquicela was re-elected as head of Parliament with the hard vote of the opposition movement Union for Hope, former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) and the opposition Social Christian Party (PSC), among others.

If the same vote captured by Saquicela is transferred to the political trial, Lasso’s fate would be cast since his dismissal requires 92 votes.

For the political analyst César Ulloa, support for Saquicela does not necessarily imply voting for the trial, “because if that were to happen, the President would activate the ‘cross death’”, he said in reference to the possibility of the head of state to dissolve Parliament and govern by decree while new general elections are held.

Saquicela believes that there are no grounds to apply this figure, because “they cannot be protected, in the face of the existence of a political trial, in that figure in general terms.”

On her side, the legislator Yeseña Guamaní, appointed on Sunday as the third member of the Legislative Administration Council, opined that the “landslide vote“Yesterday in the Assembly”can be a reference but not a definition for the judgment” of Lasso.

trial process

According to the opposition, Lasso incurred in alleged embezzlement by learning of alleged irregularities in a contract signed by the state company Flota Petrolera del Ecuador (Flopec) and the private firm Amazonas Tanker and not having acted to prevent further damage to the State.

Instead, the president’s defense maintains that the contracts were signed under the previous administration of former President Lenín Moreno (2017-2021) and that under Lasso’s mandate a review was requested from the Comptroller’s Office (Court of Accounts) to renew them under the conditions and observations made by that body.

Last Tuesday, with 88 votes in favor, 23 against and 5 abstentions, the Legislature approved entering the last phase of the trial, in which there will be the interpellation of Lasso.

Tomorrow the two legislators designated as interpellants will intervene, before giving way to Lasso’s participation.

“There will be the right to reply and later the debate will be opened, which will determine the fate of the head of state regarding the sanction or not.”, Saquicela said when noting that the vote will proceed 72 hours after the aforementioned debate ended.

Possibles scenarios

In an interview with EFE, Ulloa opined that there are three possible scenarios in the current situation, one of which has to do with the permanence of the assembly members and Lasso in their positions.

If this occurs, Lasso must change from “integral form” the social team and reinforce the security policy to advance the remaining two years of the Government, he considered.

Another scenario outlines it with the possibility that Lasso fails to reverse the current opposition majority in the Assembly until the last day of negotiations and calls the “death cross”.

Finally, he speculates that if Lasso is dismissed, Alfredo Borrero, (current vice president), could replace him, as determined by law, “which does not mean that Borrero does not dismiss the Assembly, since he can also apply ‘cross death’”.

If Borrero takes office, he must send a shortlist to the Assembly with three names to designate the new vice president.

The scenario withless political cost is that the president is not removed because the country can somehow maintain some stability”, said the analyst.

But, if he is removed, “country risk rises, multilateral credit institutions closed, total uncertainty”, pointed out Ulloa who believes that currently the political situation in Ecuador is “non-viable” because “No one is clear about where we are headed”.

Source: EFE