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guillermo lasso
Ecuador's Right-Wing President Dissolves Congress to 'Stave Off Impeachment'
The head of the Andean nation's largest Indigenous rights group accused President Guillermo Lasso of launching a "cowardly self-coup" and pushing the country toward an "imminent dictatorship."
May 17, 2023
Days before Ecuadorian lawmakers were expected to vote on removing him from office, Guillermo Lasso, Ecuador's deeply unpopular right-wing president, dissolved the country's National Assembly, a move progressive critics called a bid to avoid impeachment.
For the first time ever, Lasso invoked Article 148 of the Ecuadorian Constitution, which gives presidents the power to dissolve the legislature under certain circumstances, including legislative overreach and a "severe political crisis and domestic unrest."
The move, popularly known as "muerte cruzada"—"the death cross"—will allow Lasso to rule by decree for six months. It came a day after the president defended himself before lawmakers during an impeachment trial for allegedly turning a blind eye toward embezzlement.
"Not having the necessary votes to save himself from his imminent dismissal, Lasso launched a cowardly self-coup with the help of the police and the armed forces, without citizen support, becoming an imminent dictatorship," Leonidas Iza, head of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the country's largest Indigenous rights group, said in denouncing the move.
\u201c\ud83d\udea8 Muerte cruzada \ud83d\udea8 \n\nEcuador\u2019s President, Guillermo Lasso, just disbanded the National Assembly to stave off impeachment.\n\nWith Ecuador\u2019s largest Indigenous org and the opposition promising mass protests, unrest in Quito could get intense fast. \n\nI\u2019ll be updating periodically.\u201d— Will Freeman (@Will Freeman) 1684325328
As Will Freeman, Latin America specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations, explained last week:
The impeachment process originated in a scandal that erupted in January 2023. That month, Ecuadorian journalists denounced members of Lasso's inner circle for allegedly mismanaging public companies and maintaining ties to Albanian mafia groups that have come to dominate Ecuador's lucrative cocaine trafficking routes. The journalists say their information came from a police investigation, although Ecuador's attorney general has claimed the source material was doctored.
After the journalists published leaked audio clips corroborating aspects of their story, one top government appointee, Hernan Luque, became a fugitive from justice. Another businessman allegedly connected to the ring, Rubén Cherres, was found murdered. In March, a majority of Ecuador's National Assembly asked to start impeachment proceedings. Ecuador's Constitutional Court partially granted the request, allowing a vote on the corruption allegations to move forward.
Ousting Lasso from office would require the votes of 92 of the National Assembly's 137 members. The motion to proceed with the impeachment process received 88 votes.
\u201cA legislative coup now is underway in @LassoGuillermo's Ecuador, which @SecBlinken just recently "applauded" for its democratic values. "More than ever, Ecuador today shares the values that have guided the United States to prosperity since its founding," Blinken said. Indeed.\u201d— David Adler (@David Adler) 1684323931
Lasso denies both the corruption allegations and accusations that he dismissed lawmakers in order to derail the impeachment.
"Ecuador needs a new political and social pact that will allow it to get out of the political crisis in which it finds itself," Lasso said during a mandatory nationwide television and radio address, according to teleSUR. "We must move towards a solution that offers hope to families and puts an end to a useless and irrational confrontation."
Article 148 stipulates that the National Electoral Council (CNE) must call presidential and legislative elections within seven days of lawmakers' dismissal, although the electoral process is allowed to take up to six months.
\u201c#Ecuador | Citizens express their rejection of President Guillermo Lasso outside the National Assembly. They demand his dismissal.\n\u201d— teleSUR English (@teleSUR English) 1684258393
The CNE came under fire during the 2021 presidential election—in which Lasso, a former banker, defeated progressive economist Andrés Arauz—for trying to prevent Arauz from running by, among other things, banning his political party and then outlawing another party he tried to form.
Arauz wanted to have progressive former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa as his running mate, but the CNE banned him from the ticket. Electoral officials also blocked the Arauz campaign from using Correa's voice or image—but allowed Arauz's opponents to depict the former president in a negative manner.
Correa—who argued that what Lasso is doing is "illegal"—looms large during the current crisis. Although the former president fled Ecuador rather than face trial for what he claims are baseless corruption charges, he still controls the largest bloc of National Assembly lawmakers.
\u201cLo que Lasso hace es ilegal. Obviamente no hay ninguna \u00abconmoci\u00f3n interna\u00bb. Tan solo no pudo comprar suficientes asamble\u00edstas para salvarse.\nEn todo caso, es la GRAN oportunidad para librarnos de Lasso, de su Gobierno y de sus asamble\u00edstas de alquiler, y recuperar la Patria\u270a\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Rafael Correa (@Rafael Correa) 1684326089
Lasso wasted no time in exercising his new powers.
"Starting today, the national government will issue decrees that will comply with the mandate that you gave me," he said during his address to the public. "I have signed a first decree to reduce taxes on families. It will be sent to the Constitutional Court for its review."
The president promised that "public services will operate normally," and that "the armed forces and the police continue to guarantee security."
As Lasso spoke, state security forces surrounded the National Assembly building to block anyone from entering or leaving the legislature, teleSUR reported.
Nelson Proaño, head of the Ecuadorian military's Joint Command, delivered a brief Wednesday morning address to the nation in which he endorsed Lasso's invocation of Article 148.
\u201cNothing to see here, just Ecuador\u2019s armed forces deployed to enforce Guillermo Lasso\u2019s \u201ccross of death\u201d decree that dissolved the National Assembly in order to prevent his imminent impeachment\u2026\u201d— David Adler (@David Adler) 1684338991
"Therefore, it is subject to a constitutional norm and must be fully and completely respected by all citizens," Proaño asserted. "I wish to remind Ecuadorians that the armed forces and the National Police are obedient and nondeliberative institutions and we fulfill our mission strictly abiding by the Constitution."
Freeman wrote last week that "Ecuador is likely headed for a period of increased instability."
"Given the acute challenges Ecuador is already facing—from surging crime to mass migration to a weak economy—that is something ordinary Ecuadorians can hardly afford," he added.
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The Death of Neoliberalism in Ecuador
Like in 2019, these protests will be a test of the determination of the current government for austerity measures and neoliberal policies.
Jun 19, 2022
On Monday, protests erupted throughout Ecuador. The demonstrations, coordinated by the CONAIE, or Conderation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, accompanied by student groups and labor unions, resisted a planned hike in fuel prices.
Without mounting public national, regional, and international pressure, the Lasso government will not be pushed to make any concessions to the Ecuadorian people.
The CONAIE is represented by the environmentalist indigenous Pachakutik Party in the National Assembly in Quito, the second-most powerful party on the left.
The group also put forward 10 demands to the center-right government of President Guillermo Lasso. The demands include a halt to the expansion of oil and mining exploration, as well as a freeze on the price of petroleum and agricultural products.
Protests were first concentrated in the historical downtown of Quito, disrupting businesses, infrastructure, and tourism. I was personally in the area when the protests occurred, forcing me to escape the police's use of tear gas to disperse the crowd.
In the coastal countryside and in the Amazon, protesters have also targeted oil and mining towns, as well as agricultural centers, allegedly leading to the deaths of two mine workers and one protester in the southern highlands.
Some cities have been paralyzed, as protesters have blocked major highways. The Lasso government has implemented swift measures, instructing the use of tear gas against protesters, while also conducting a series of broad arrests and targeted raids.
The leader of the CONAIE Leonidas Iza was arrested and put on trial for sabotage, though he was promptly released as a result of public pressure. Local independent journalists have also been arrested and targeted by the police and military.
These clashes are not new. They have come periodically since 1997 and have been most potent against conservative or neoliberal governments proposing price and tax increases to reduce Ecuador's national debt.
Between 1997 and 2005, the protests deposed three Presidents in Ecuador, showcasing the strength of left-wing activism in Ecuador.
The protests in the late 1990s and early 2000s also helped usher in three consecutive mandates by President Rafael Correa, who championed policies of the populist left and was part of the Pink Tide movement in South America.
Correa's predecessors in the Pink Tide included Lula in Brazil, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Ollanta Humala in Peru, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Michelle Bachelet in Chile, and the Kirschners in Argentina.
Correa's tenure was characterized by an expansion of public education, transportation, healthcare, and a vast redistribution of wealth between the rich and poor strata of Ecuador.
Even after 10 years, Correa maintains a high approval rating, oscillating between 55 and 65 percent according to independent polling in Ecuador.
During Correa's tenure, the CONAIE and other indigenous, student, and labor groups played a large role in Ecuadorian politics, being assigned key ministerial positions and holding the balance of power in Congress.
Yet, in 2017, as Correa decided not to run again--citing family reasons--Ecuadorian politics took a hard turn to the right. At the ballot box, Ecuadorians chose to elect Lenin Moreno, who, despite running with Correa's party, governed as a center-right President.
Then-President Moreno focused his tenure on reducing the debt and the deficit, expanding small business, and welcoming international investment and tourism. These priorities came to the detriment of the quality of public services, which sharply decreased as a result of austerity measures.
Such austerity measures, including price hikes for fuel and other essential goods and services, led to mass protests in 2019, where left-wing activists once again took to the streets hoping to reverse the measures and depose Moreno.
The protests were highly violent, leading to the deaths of between 8 and 23 protesters at the hands of state security forces.
Moreno, due to public pressure, canceled the planned price hikes and decided not to run for reelection in 2021. Since then, Moreno's successor, Guillermo Lasso, has continued many of the austerity measures put in place by his successor. A price increase on fuel has once again been put forward, leading to the ongoing protests.
One may question why the two center-right presidents were elected given the popularity of former left-wing President Correa and the tremendous backlash to austerity measures, but the Ecuadorian left is highly divided.
While the center and the right, including Ecuador's financial, political, and media elites, were largely united behind former President Moreno and current President Lasso, the left is split up between a variety of political parties and interest groups, all of which have different policy preferences and priorities.
Like in 2019, these protests will be a test of the determination of the current government for austerity measures and neoliberal policies.
The Lasso government's aggressive response, claiming that they will "not allow the country to be paralyzed," and alluding to the possible use of violence if necessary, may end up uniting the left further and pushing it towards more violent resistance. Unfortunately, the lack of international attention to the protest and Ecuador's contentious political past, present, and future may give the Lasso more leeway in its response.
The protesters should focus their attention on gaining international coverage and recognition, in the hopes of containing the Lasso government's response. Then, a high death toll may be avoided, constitutional and human rights be respected, and the groups' demands be listened to.
Without mounting public national, regional, and international pressure, the Lasso government will not be pushed to make any concessions to the Ecuadorian people.
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'Disaster': Burst Pipeline Sprays Crude Oil Into Ecuadorian Amazon
"Spills have become a part of our daily life, and we live with the contamination for decades. The oil industry has only brought us death and destruction," said one campaigner.
Jan 30, 2022
Indigenous environmental defenders in Ecuador on Sunday pointed to a pipeline rupture in the Amazon rainforest as "the exact reason why we oppose oil extraction" as the pipeline operator temporarily halted pumping crude oil.
A pipeline constructed by OCP Ecuador burst on Friday after a rockslide, according to NBC News. Videos posted on social media by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and Amazon Frontlines showed oil spraying out of the pipeline into the rainforest.
\u201c\ud83c\udd98URGENT! New oil spill in Ecuador on the banks of the Coca river, in what appears to be a new rupture of the @OCPEcuador pipeline. Over 27,000 Kichwa living downriver still suffereing impacts of massive April 2020 oil spill. Government & courts did nothing. This is the result.\u201d— AFrontlines (@AFrontlines) 1643422153
OCP Ecuador claimed it had contained the spill so "it cannot contaminate any bodies of water," but environmental defenders said the spill would be a "disaster" for more than 27,000 Indigenous Kichwa people living downriver from the spill on the banks of the Coca River.
More than 60,000 people depend on water from the river, according to NBC News.
"The river is contaminated. Look," said a campaigner in a video posted by Amazon Frontlines, showing oil flowing into the Coca River. "Thousands of liters are being spilled into the river. Thousands and thousands."
\u201cDevastating scenes from the Ecuadorian Amazon after yesterday's @OCPEcuador pipeline bursted: \u201cThe river is contaminated. Look. Thousands of liters are being spilled into the river. Thousands and thousands. Thousands and thousands. The Coca River is contaminated. Oh my God."\u201d— AFrontlines (@AFrontlines) 1643495409
The group said OCP Ecuador "lied and knowingly endangered Kichwa communities" when it said in an official statement Saturday that the burst pipeline was not "directly exposed to rivers" and that the oil flow had been controlled.
"These are the lies that put lives at risk," said Amazon Frontlines. "We must end the impunity!"
The ruptured pipeline has caused the second major oil spill in the Ecuadorian Amazon in two years.
Indigenous communities are "still suffering impacts of massive April 2020 oil spill," said Amazon Frontlines, noting that a lower court threw out a lawsuit filed by the Kichwa last year; the case is now pending before Ecuador's Constitutional Court, with the plaintiffs demanding remediation of the oil spill.
"Spills have become a part of our daily life, and we live with the contamination for decades. The oil industry has only brought us death and destruction," Andres Tapia of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon told NBC News Sunday after the latest spill. "We are calling on the government to halt oil expansion plans and properly clean up this spill and all the others that continue to contaminate our territories and violate our rights."
The pipeline that burst Friday pumps about 450,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
About two-thirds of the oil extracted from the Amazon rainforest is exported to the United States, and Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has called for doubling the country's oil production since taking office last year.
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