President Lasso warns he will dissolve Ecuador's National Assembly

Quito, October 17 (RHC)-- The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, has warned the National Assembly that he will invoke the constitutional resource of "cross death" and dissolve the parliamentary body if it does not approve several bills on tax and labor issues that he will send in the coming days.

During a meeting with the press in Quito, the president criticized that the National Assembly, which returned the labor reform bill (Law for the Creation of Opportunities), which was not presented before the plenary of the deputies.

He told reporters: "The stopwatch is ticking.  The decree (of the cross death) is ready (...) If they block the laws we must go to cross death."  Lasso said that the resoure allows him to dissolve the Assembily, but forces him to call new presidential and legislative elections. 

After issuing the warning, he expressed that he will insist on dialoguing with the Assembly.  In this regard, he said that he met with the Assembly's president, Guadalupe Llori, to discuss the legislation, which was returned by the Administrative Council of the Legislature (CAL).

This body considered that the initiative did not comply with constitutional principles and should be returned to the Executive to be improved.  During the press conference, Lasso announced that he will send three proposed bills to the Assembly -- labor, tax and investment bills -- and then two urgent economic bills on taxes.

He demanded that the legislative initiatives go to the corresponding Commissions and be debated in the Plenary of the Assembly.  He added that he does not have the votes of the Union for Hope nor of the Social Christian Party, but expects to be supported by the indigenous movement Pachakutik.

The President emphasized that he has no inconvenience in activating the cross death, a measure foreseen in Article 148 of the Constitution and which can be used only once in the first three years of presidential administration.

According to the Magna Carta, the head of State may dissolve the National Assembly for three reasons: when he considers that the National Assembly has assumed functions that are not its constitutional competence; when it obstructs the execution of the National Development Plan in a reiterated and unjustified manner, or in circumstances of serious political crisis.

This week, the Constitutional Guarantees and Human Rights Commission of the National Assembly approved the roadmap to investigate the possible link of Lasso with the Pandora Papers scandal.