Quito: A showdown between Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso and the opposition-led National Assembly could result in either side being booted from office this week as lawmakers seek to try him for embezzlement and he mulls exercising his constitutional power to dissolve the legislature.
Lawmakers will continue impeachment proceedings against the right-leaning politician on Tuesday during a session of the unicameral assembly that Lasso is expected to attend.
Political tensions have risen in Ecuador since Lasso, a former banker, was elected in 2021 and clashed from the start with a strong opposition in the Assembly. At the same time, the South American country has experienced an increase in drug-related violence, including several massacres in prisons over the past two years.
Whatever happens this week, the country’s overall instability will certainly deepen.
“The removal of the president, being an institutional earthquake in any democracy, will be an event that it will shake the country’s political scene,” said Laura Lizarazo, senior analyst covering Ecuador and Colombia for the global firm Control Risks.
This is the second time the opposition tries to impeach Lasso, but last year it didn’t get enough votes.
Tuesday’s session could extend into Wednesday as it will feature hours of arguments from Lasso’s accusers and defense and 10-minute remarks from any of the 137 legislators who wish to speak on the politically charged case.