Three countries and the OAS issue support for democracy in Ecuador

The leaders of Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic issued a statement in support of democracy on Monday, in addition to that of the Organization of American States, in support of democracy in Ecuador, when the National Assembly of this country is advancing a possible trial politician and dismissal against the president, Guillermo Lasso.

The three countries, whose representatives were in the Ecuadorian capital at a meeting of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, indicated in a statement that, faithful to their commitment to the Inter-American Democratic Charter, “they reiterate their firm support for democracy in Ecuador and to the government of President Guillermo Lasso, democratically elected”.

They also conveyed their concern over recent events “tending to destabilize a government elected by popular will,” while calling on the different sectors to guarantee the constitutional period.

In Ecuador’s Assembly, the proposal to impeach and remove Lasso maintains majority support, but the decision will be adopted later by the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether it meets the formal and constitutional requirements to prosecute the 67-year-old ruler. That process is not yet imminent.

On Sunday, the OAS expressed the absolute importance of adherence to democratic institutions and “respect for the stability of democratic periods” in a statement and called on Ecuadorian political and social actors to frame the resolution of their differences in the constitutional context.

Last week a legislative commission, mostly opposition, presented a report in parliament on an alleged case of corruption and alleged links of those close to power with criminal groups and recommended that Lasso be subjected to a political trial.

That commission analyzed for almost three weeks information about an alleged case of corruption called “The Great Godfather,” which began as a police investigation of drug traffickers and led to possible links between Danilo Carrera, the president’s brother-in-law, and former official Hernán Luque with those groups.

If the request of the legislators is admitted in all instances, it must return to the Legislature, in two or three weeks, to formally start the trial, which could take a month. For removal, at least 92 legislators must vote in favor of a total of 137.

The Minister of Government, Henry Cucalón, defended Lasso, arguing that the legislative report lacks legal validity and that the real intention is to “configure a political trial against the President of the Republic” not as an act of “control, but of evident destabilization”.

The case was made public on the digital portal La Posta, which revealed a police investigation report from June 2022 to January 2023, when it was archived on the recommendation of the court and the Prosecutor’s Office due to the lack of compelling elements.

This is the second time that the Legislature seeks to remove the president from power. The first time was in June of last year, when he failed to complete the necessary 92 votes after a strike by the indigenous movement that led to violent protests for almost three weeks to demand a reduction in fuel prices. Lasso, a former right-wing banker, began his four-year tenure in May 2021.

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