: State crisis in Ecuador: President Lasso dissolves parliament

Amid impeachment proceedings against Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso for alleged embezzlement, the head of state has dissolved parliament. The electoral office should set a date for elections within seven days, according to a statement by the presidential office published on Wednesday. The conservative president can now govern by decree for up to six months.

The figure of the so-called “muerte cruzada” (roughly: mutual destruction), with which the president can dissolve the National Assembly under certain conditions, has been enshrined in the constitution of the South American country since 2008. So far, however, it has never been used.

“It is impossible to solve the challenges with a parliament whose aim is to destabilize the country,” Lasso said in a televised address. “I have to give an answer to the political crisis. Ecuador needs a new political and social pact that will allow us to overcome the crisis, which unfortunately is getting worse every day.”

Lawsuit against the dissolution of Parliament

MPs Yeseña Guamaní Vásquez and Esteban Torres appealed to the Constitutional Court against the dissolution of Parliament. Torres said the legal requirements for dissolving the National Assembly were not met. Lasso only used the instrument to evade impeachment proceedings.

Lasso accused Parliament of trying to seize state institutions and preparing for the return from exile of ex-President Rafael Correa, who had been convicted of corruption. “By dissolving Parliament, I have defused a macabre plan to seize control of state institutions in order to establish impunity and allow the return of a President convicted of corruption by the National Court and not serving the prescribed eight-year sentence wants to serve,” he said in an interview with CNN Español.

Ecuador suffers from a wave of violence

Ecuador is in a serious political crisis. Only 17 percent of citizens support Lasso’s governance, and just 20 percent rate parliament’s work as good. The once peaceful South American country is also currently suffering from a wave of violence. The homicide rate of 25 homicides per 100,000 people last year was the highest in the country’s history, even exceeding those of Mexico and Brazil. The government blames drug dealers for the violence.

“We are more united than ever,” Lasso wrote after his speech over a photo with his closest associates on Twitter. “We all continue to work for Ecuador to regain its calm. The country is not standing still. Public services are working normally. The Armed Forces and the National Police continue their daily work to fight crime and terrorism. The private sector has all the guarantees to its develop activities and continue to contribute to the growth and development of the country.”