On Wednesday, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso took the unprecedented step of dissolving the country’s National Assembly as the opposition-led body was trying to oust him on embezzlement charges. The move allows the president to rule by decree until new elections can be held.
The decision comes amid a period of political turmoil in the country, with rising violence and a skyrocketing homicide rate as narco-trafficking groups fight for territory. Opposition lawmakers accused Mr. Lasso of turning a blind eye to irregularities and embezzlement in a contract between a state-run shipping company and an oil tanker company.
The president repeatedly denied the charges, pointing out that the contract was signed before he took office. He argued that the impeachment proceedings were politically motivated.
The move to dissolve congress provides temporary stability for the country, allowing Mr. Lasso to pass laws without a deadlock and giving political parties the chance for a “reset.” However, it also threatens to undercut the country’s democracy and has no parallel in other presidential democracies in Latin America.
Mr. Lasso must now call for new presidential and legislative elections and will govern by decree in the meantime. The newly elected president and National Assembly would then govern for two years, until the end of the original term in 2025.