Given the serious political crisis that Ecuador is going through
On May 17, 2023, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the Legislative Assembly. This measure was taken to avoid impeachment proceedings by the legislative body for his alleged involvement in embezzlement. With the activation of this mechanism, colloquially known as "mutual dissolution," Lasso called for early presidential and legislative elections. However, while the new representatives are being elected and sworn in, Lasso can govern for up to six months through emergency economic decrees, which are subject only to review by the Constitutional Court. The Court has upheld the constitutionality of the measure, even though its stated justification (grave internal unrest) is not met.
The dissolution of the Assembly is extremely worrying given the series of authoritarian actions Lasso has taken during his administration, including the unrestricted carrying of weapons, the characterization of all social protest as terrorism, and the authorization of the use of lethal weapons to "combat" it. The armed forces themselves, which support the measure, threatened to "act firmly" if they encounter opposition.
A Lasso government ruling by decree and with the support of the armed forces opens the door to implementing neoliberal reforms that will further deepen Ecuador's crisis and allow for the violent suppression of all social protest. In fact, decrees have already been announced regarding tax and labor reforms, as well as measures to promote private investment in the energy sector.
Given this situation, members of CLACSO Working Group History and Current Situation: Marxist PerspectivesWe make the following statement:
● We reject the authoritarianism championed by Lasso and his attempts to legalize the abusive use of military and police force against the people who govern.
● We express our support and solidarity with the Ecuadorian people, who have endured the crisis caused by Lasso's neoliberal policies, and with the indigenous, workers', women's and feminist, and environmental organizations that exercise their legitimate right to dissent and social protest.
● We call on the international community to be alert to the imminent authoritarian danger that could endanger the rights and lives of those who live in Ecuador.
May 19th 2023
CLACSO Working Group
History and current situation: Marxist perspectives
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
