Ecuadorian Congress allows impeachment proceedings against President Lasso to continue

The Legislative Administration Council (CAL) of the National Assembly (Congress) of Ecuador qualified yesterday, Monday, the impeachment request filed by 59 legislators against the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso, for alleged crimes against public administration, informed the Legislative Power.

“With 5 votes in favor, the CAL admits to process the request recommending the impeachment of @LassoGuillermo,” the National Assembly published on its social network Twitter.

It added that the resolution would be forwarded to the country’s Constitutional Court to issue the prior admissibility ruling following the Constitution and the Law of the Legislative Function.

Once it receives the request, the Court has a term of six days to pronounce, and in case the opinion is favorable, the impeachment trial will have to be substantiated by the Auditing Commission of the National Assembly; otherwise, it will be filed.

The CAL, controlled by the opposition to Lasso’s government, met this Monday to hear the impeachment request and resolve the issue.

The entity determined that the request complies with all the requirements and is “duly grounded”, in addition to the requirement of support of at least one-third of the 137 members of the National Assembly.

The request for impeachment against the president, which could lead to his removal from office, was filed on March 16 by 59 legislators from various political parties, including the right-wing Social Christian Party, a former ally of Lasso, and the Union for Hope Movement (Unes), a party related to former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa (2007-2017).

Other parties pushing for the impeachment are Izquierda Democrática, Movimiento Indígena Pachakutik, and Independientes.

The impeachment derives from investigations carried out against the president within the case called “Encuentro”, related to an alleged corruption scheme in public companies and, in addition, for alleged links of the Government with the Albanian mafia (Albanian organized crime) and drug trafficking.

On March 4, the plenary of the National Assembly was approved with 104 votes in favor of the legislative committee report that investigated the president and recommended the initiation of an impeachment trial.

The Government has categorically rejected the request for impeachment against President Lasso, stating that there is a total lack of political and legal elements to support a process against him.

In addition, it considers that the lawsuit is aimed at attacking the institutionality of the Ecuadorian State and democracy.

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