President Lasso invoked a never-before-used mechanism as his impeachment trial progressed… Facing an impeachment vote, on May 17 Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso took the unprecedented move to call for a muerte cruzada, an option some have translated as “mutually assured destruction.” With this constitutional mechanism, Lasso dissolved Congress and can rule by decree until presidential and legislative elections are held within the next six months. Lasso cited a grave political crisis and social upheaval as reasons for invoking the measure. On May 16 he had testified in an impeachment trial related to embezzlement accusations, which he has denied. Will Freeman, fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, columnist for Americas Quarterly Lasso’s decision to pull the trigger on muerte cruzada shows he had no options left. This was his only path to political survival. When Lasso took the stage in Congress yesterday — or a short time afterwards — he must…
Reaction: Ecuador’s Lasso dissolves congress
