The president of Ecuador is saved from impeachment in Parliament; protests continue

First modification: 06/29/2022 – 14:39

By just 12 votes, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso escaped being impeached. The opposition legislators failed to add the 92 votes necessary to remove the conservative leader from the Executive, whom they accuse of the serious commotion that is shaking the country.

80 of the 137 deputies that make up the unicameral legislature voted in favor of overthrowing the president, while 48 voted against and nine abstained.

“We defended democracy and now we must restore peace. Despite coup attempts, today the country’s institutions prevailed. It is evident who works for the political mafias. Meanwhile, we continue working for Ecuador”, the president published on his Twitter account, after learning of the decision.

Lasso accused the so-called “correismo” of being behind his impeachment attempt and trying to “assault” democracy. The opposition Union for Hope party, linked to former president Rafael Correa, promoted the initiative that the National Assembly processed since last Friday, June 24.

The legislative process to try to expel Lasso from the Presidency took place under the cause of “serious political crisis and internal commotion”, in the midst of the strike called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) and the convulsive protests that surround it.

Since June 13, protesters, mostly indigenous, have been marching to reject high fuel and food prices.

Protests continue and talks stall

Lasso continues in office, but the crisis that has put him on the ropes continues.

In a speech from the Carondelet Palace on Tuesday, June 28, the country’s ruler assured that the murder of a soldier in the midst of the violent protests led his government to suspend talks with the indigenous people.

In addition, the head of state insists that he will no longer negotiate with the maximum leader of the Conaie, Leonidas Iza, to put an end to more than two weeks of demonstrations.

“We will not dialogue with Leonidas Iza again, who only defends his political interests and not those of his base,” Lasso said, referring to the indigenous leader, who on Tuesday, just before the vote in the Assembly, asked the leader of the Ecuadorian Government to return. to the dialogue table to find solutions to the demands of the aboriginal community.

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Lasso points out that his Administration has already made significant concessions to the protesters, after accepting a cut in the price of gasoline, debt forgiveness and subsidies for fertilizers, among other demands.

However, Iza assures that the price decrease was not enough and the president affirms that his government is open to talks, but without the leader of Conaie.

The country cannot dialogue with those who hold it “hostage,” Lasso said. “Only when there are legitimate representatives of all the peoples and ethnic groups of Ecuador, who seek real solutions and who are open to a real and frank dialogue, will we return to the negotiating table,” said the head of state.

But with neither side willing to compromise on who should be present at the talks, no immediate solution is in sight.

“Mr. President, we have never conditioned who can come to talk and who cannot,” Iza said after ratifying that she will remain in the place of the talks until the government representatives arrive.

Meanwhile, more than two weeks of crisis have left at least eight people dead, including a soldier, in addition to roadblocks, shortages of food and medicine, and a drastic reduction in oil production.

The production of Ecuadorian crude oil has fallen by 1.8 million barrels during the protests, according to data from the Ministry of Energy, as the blockades have prevented the transportation of supplies for this work.

With Reuters, EFE and local media