The National Assembly of Ecuador installed this Saturday the session to deal, as the only point, a request for the impeachment of President Guillermo Lasso, who on Friday denounced an attempted coup against him.
The session -installed virtually, with the assistance of 135 assembly members, the legal secretary of the Presidency, Fabian Welland chaired by the head of the Legislature, Virgilio Saquicela-, began with the singing of the national anthem of Ecuador.
The request for the removal of the ruler was made by assembly members related to former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) under the cause of serious internal commotion due to the wave of protests against the high cost of living and the economic policies of the Executive.
Although in principle the Legislative session was going to take place at the Assembly headquarters, it will finally be held virtually due to the state of emergency decreed in six provinces due to the protests, which have been characterized by road closures and the blocking of roads. pathways.
The organic law of the Assembly requires that the session to debate the presidential removal be convened in less than 24 hours from the presentation of the request, and the president has also been summoned to present his allegations lassowho has delegated his intervention to Fabián Pozo.
They set up a session to analyze the request for Lasso’s dismissal
After the debate, Parliament has 72 hours to vote on the continuity of the president, for which a two-thirds majority is required, equivalent to 92 of the 137 assembly members.
The session takes place during the thirteenth day of mobilizations called, mainly by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador.
Likewise, it was installed a few hours after government representatives met with the president of Conaie, Leonidas Iza, and other indigenous leaders, in a first approach called by Saquicela, who highlighted the willingness of the parties to dialogue.
“I believe that this path will prosper and I believe that the parties are predisposed to this dialogue, yielding from part to part, without conditions, but rather reaching specific agreements.” He said so when he expressed his hope that tomorrow a first dialogue table can be set up.
The indigenous movement demands compliance with a list of ten demands, among them that fuel prices be reduced and frozen, that the prices of basic necessities be controlled, that state companies not be privatized and that the oil and mining activity in the Amazon.
The demonstrations, which began on June 13, have been characterized by roadblocks and roadblocks, and have recorded violent episodes that have left, so far, 5 dead and no less than 200 injured among the protesters and the law enforcement.
