Ecuadors left-wing legislature removes leader with close ties to conservative president

Ecuador’s left-wing dominated legislature voted on Tuesday to remove National Assembly President Guadalupe Llori – a close ally of conservative President Guillermo Lasso – from office, accusing her of failing to perform her duties and unlawfully appointing a subordinate in her place.

According to Ecuadorian news sources, 81 of the 82 lawmakers present for the vote supported the move, which was backed by the opposition, which holds a comfortable majority in the 137-member chamber.

Lasso, a banker and three-time presidential candidate, took office last year after besting his leftist opponent in a runoff election – effectively ending 14 years of Correismo and left-wing rule.

Although he entered office promising to end corruption, create jobs and bring international investment to Ecuador, the 66-year-old leader has faced a slow pandemic recovery, increased gang violence and an unfriendly legislature.

In recent weeks, several opposition parties have tried to remove Llori – a member of the indigenous Pachakutik party – from office, publicly claiming that she blocked appeals against her party’s leadership and failed to call pending legislative sessions.

The now unseated lawmaker requested protective measures from Ecuador’s judiciary to avoid the removal, but the judges quickly deferred the decision back to the opposition-run National Assembly.

Shortly after Llori was removed from her position, independent lawmaker Virgilio Saquicela – who previously served as vice president of the chamber – was appointed as the new chamber president by the opposition lawmakers.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, Saquicela invited Lasso to “seek solutions to insecurity, to seek laws that benefit the country, (and) to sit down with all sectors to find ways to solve Ecuador's serious problems.”