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Police forces stand guard outside Ecuador's National Assembly in Quito after the country's president issued a decree dissolving the legislature on May 17, 2023. 

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Lasso's use of a constitutional clause to disband the legislature and rule by decree before early elections will face institutional opposition and likely spur disruptive protests.

Ecuador's President Dissolves Congress To Avoid Impeachment. But at What Cost?

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What will happen if President Guillermo Lasso is ousted?

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Demonstrators carry makeshift shields during the tenth day of protests against the administration of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on June 22, 2022, in Quito, Ecuador.

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Disruptions caused by the Indigenous-led movement have already forced state-run Petroecuador to suspend some exports and shutter nearly 1,000 wells.

Protests Place Ecuador’s Oil Production in Peril

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Ecuadorean presidential candidate Yaku Perez (L) and his partner French-Brazilian Manuela Picq (R) speak with an OAS member during a meeting with his competitor Guillermo Lasso

The two contenders in Ecuador's second-round presidential elections in April raise the likely prospect of a return to populist policies.

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Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso introduced a decree seeking to provide incentives for investment in Ecuador's free economic zones by expanding tax exemptions and creating special foreign trade regimes, El Universo reported on May 23.

Ecuador: President Introduces Decree to Attract Private Investment

Ecuador's Constitutional Court unanimously rejected six separate claims of unconstitutionality that former legislators had filed against executive decree 741, with which President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly and called for early general elections the day before, El Universo reported on May 18.

Ecuador: Constitutional Court Gives Early Elections Green Light

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso published an executive decree to dissolve the National Assembly, enabling him to rule by decree for up to six months before advancing general elections, El Universo reported on May 17.

Ecuador: President Invokes Mechanism to Dissolve Congress, Rule by Decree

Ecuador's National Assembly approved an impeachment trial against President Guillermo Lasso, with 88 of the 116 present legislators voting in favor, El Universo reported on May 9.

Ecuador: National Assembly Approves Impeachment Trial

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso confirmed that if the National Assembly impeaches him, he will use a constitutional mechanism to dissolve the body and rule by decree until the earliest possible date for elections, the Financial Times reported on April 17.

Ecuador: President Vows to Use 'Cross Death' Mechanism if Congress Impeaches Him

Ecuador's Constitutional Court approved an impeachment hearing of President Guillermo Lasso over his alleged involvement in a scheme to embezzle funding from public companies, El Universo reported on March 29.

Ecuador: Constitutional Court Approves Impeachment Proceedings

A legislative commission in Ecuador recommended the impeachment of President Guillermo Lasso over his alleged involvement in a scheme to embezzle funding from public companies, El Universo reported March 2. 

Ecuador: Legislative Commission Recommends President's Impeachment Over Corruption Charges

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) stated that it would end dialogue with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso’s pro-business government and called for Lasso's resignation, claiming that his government failed to comply with previous accords, El Universo reported Feb. 24. 

Ecuador: Indigenous Group Calls for President's Resignation 

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Ecuador straddles the equator on the Pacific Coast of South America. Colombia sits on its northern border, and Peru wraps around its eastern and southern boundaries. Geographical barriers divide the country into three parts. The east is part of the Amazon rainforest, the Andes Mountains run down the center, and the west is in the coastal zone.     The country's major territorial conflict with Peru was settled in 1998. The dispute dated back to the time when Ecuador was part of Gran Colombia, which included Colombia, Venezuela and Panama, in the early 19th century. With the dissolution of Gran Colombia, Ecuador inherited a territorial dispute that took over 150 years to be settled.     Although there is no territorial conflict with Colombia, Ecuador's border with its northern neighbor poses a major security challenge for the government in the capital, Quito, because it is a major route for Colombian drug trafficking and armed groups. Criminals and rebels tend to cross into Ecuador to escape Colombia's security forces. Ecuador and Colombia almost went to war at the beginning of the 21st century when Colombia bombed Ecuadorian territory in an operation against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.     The country's core regions are the Quito metropolitan area and Guayaquil, home to Ecuador's major port. Those two areas hold more than half of the country's population. Over 70 percent of Ecuador's population is mestizo, and less than 10 percent is indigenous. However, indigenous groups have clashed frequently with the central government because they oppose oil and mining activities, especially in Ecuador's Amazon region. Oil and mining products are two of the country's key export products, representing almost 40 percent of total exports.

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SITUATION REPORTS

Ecuador: President Introduces Decree to Attract Private Investment

Ecuador: Constitutional Court Gives Early Elections Green Light

Ecuador: President Invokes Mechanism to Dissolve Congress, Rule by Decree

Ecuador: National Assembly Approves Impeachment Trial

Ecuador: President Vows to Use 'Cross Death' Mechanism if Congress Impeaches Him

Ecuador: Constitutional Court Approves Impeachment Proceedings

Ecuador: Legislative Commission Recommends President's Impeachment Over Corruption Charges

Ecuador: Indigenous Group Calls for President's Resignation

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