On the verge of impeachment, Guillermo Lasso, Ecuador’s beleaguered president, announced on Wednesday that he would dissolve the country’s legislature, move to rule by decree and hold a new presidential election within six months.
QUITO, Ecuador — The apparent last-ditch effort to avoid impeachment over embezzlement accusations could mark the beginning of the end for one of the few remaining conservative heads of state in South America and is set to thrust the country into a period of political turmoil.
It’s a drastic step, allowing him to shutter the legislature while setting him on a path to give up office in about six months. He can, however, run as a candidate in the election. The move, a presidential order, is effective immediately and does not require court approval. The decree, just days before lawmakers were expected to vote on whether to remove him, gives Lasso a final political lifeline. He had previously said he would apply the muerte cruzada if the votes appeared to be stacked against him.
Seen by many Ecuadorans as out of touch with the population, Lasso’s approval rating dropped to 17 percent in recent months. He has also struggled with frequent illness and has been unable to push forward much of his legislation. Of the seven bills he has introduced, only three have been approved.A day before Lasso spoke to the national assembly during the start of his impeachment trial, the mayor of Duran, a town outside Guayaquil, suffered an attempted murder.
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