Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the national legislature on Wednesday ahead of an impeachment vote and amid growing unrest in the Andean nation that has fueled a surge of migration to the U.S.
Lasso’s decree disbanding the National Assembly, which is permitted under Ecuador’s constitution, came as lawmakers had accused him of embezzlement tied to oil shipping contracts that allegedly occurred before he became president in 2021. He denied wrongdoing in a speech before the lawmakers on Tuesday, and said the impeachment motion would undercut Ecuador’s democratic institutions.
Lasso can now govern by decree for six months before new elections are held for both legislators and the head of state in the country of 18 million.