On Thursday, Ecuador’s Constitutional Court issued a partial admissibility ruling to initiate the impeachment trial against center-right President Guillermo Lasso.
The opposition in Congress is united to push for the President’s impeachment, stripping him of his immunity and removing him from the Executive Branch on charges of embezzlement (misappropriation of funds).
Some steps remain until Lasso can defend himself before the Legislature.
According to current regulations, the process could take between 45 and 60 days.
But with the opposition united between Correism, the indigenous, and some social democrat assembly members, Lasso would not have the votes to remain President.
The trial will begin with a session this Friday of the Legislative Administration Council (CAL), the most authoritative body within the National Assembly.
Then, the CAL will send the documentation to the Commission of Political Oversight and Control, which must prepare and submit to the President of the Assembly a report on the reasons why it recommends or not to prosecute the President.
It is in this commission where Lasso will place all his chips, betting that a recommendation to avoid impeachment will save his mandate.
In case of recommending impeachment, President Lasso will be notified so that he can prepare his defense and present his response to the accusations and the evidence for his defense.
For Lasso to be removed from office, a qualified majority is required, i.e., 2/3 of the votes present, implying 92 votes in favor in case there is a full quorum of the 137 assembly members.
Currently, Lasso has only 30 votes in Congress.
Still, he has managed to govern these years with the unconventional support of 26 indigenous parliamentarians of the Pachakutik party (MUPP) and 16 of the Democratic Left (ID).
16 members of the Social Christian Party (PSC), which used to support Lasso, moved away in recent years and today are part of the opposition.
It is unknown how these 58 assembly members would vote, but the Correist opposition, which has 49 seats, needs 43 votes to approve his expulsion from the presidency.
If the legislators approve the removal, Vice President Alfredo Borrero should assume the presidency for the remaining two years of his term.
There is no need to call early elections.
However, if Correa’s supporters achieve the necessary support in Congress to remove him from office, it is evident that they will try to pressure Borrero to call for early elections.
The Chavista party UNES has everything ready for the return of the convicted Rafael Correa to the country, who is in exile in Belgium, escaping from justice.
With information from La Derecha Diario