Guillermo Lasso, president of Ecuador. Photo: Prensa Latina.
The Legislative Administration Council (CAL) of Ecuador’s National Assembly approved by six votes in favor and one against the Constitutional Court’s ruling to initiate an impeachment trial against President Guillermo Lasso. The vote took place on Friday, March 31.
The procedure now passes to the Auditing Commission, whose members have been requested by the CAL to suspend other processes and political trials in progress in order to prioritize the impeachment motion against Lasso for allegations of embezzlement, as stated by the Constitutional Court.
The Auditing Commission will meet in the coming days to set a work schedule.
Once the document of the Constitutional Court is delivered to the Auditing Commission, Lasso will have 10 days to present evidence in his favor. Then, the presentation and analysis of the evidence for and against him will proceed for a maximum period of 10 days, after which the Auditing Commission must present its report to the plenary of the National Assembly.
Thereafter, the president of the Legislative, Virgilio Saquicela, will have to release the report within three days and convene the Assembly, which will debate the procedure in a term of five days.
After the ruling of the Constitutional Court admitting the impeachment motion against Lasso, Saquicela declared that the National Assembly acts with utmost respect for the Constitution and the law. He added that the country has political control mechanisms “for the president to be held accountable for his actions.”
He stated that the plenary will execute the procedure “with complete responsibility, guaranteeing the most sacred interests of the people and the country.”
He added that the trial could end with Lasso’s dismissal. According to the constitution of Ecuador, a minimum of 92 votes are necessary to censure and dismiss the president.
On Thursday night, in a message on national TV, President Lasso declared his innocence and his willingness to abide by the Constitutional Court’s decision.
Lasso rejected the interpellation, and added that he has always acted with rectitude in the public and professional sphere, that he is being accused with lies, and that the impeachment “smells very bad.” He insisted that this procedure has no legal basis or evidence, and that behind it are the interest of political sectors desperately seeking power.
It is interesting to note that Lasso is accusing his opponents of carrying out “lawfare” against him, while his own administration has conducted severe lawfare against former President Rafael Correa and the people close to him, having inherited from his predecessor Lenin Moreno a number of politically motivated trials against Correa.
(Al Mayadeen) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/AF
