President Lasso defended himself against the accusations of the interpellants during his appearance in the Assembly

At around 1:00 p.m., the president, Guillermo Lasso, arrived at the chamber of the Nela Martínez Hall, of the National Assembly, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. There he used his right to defense within the impeachment process that was being continue against him, of course the crime of embezzlement.

At the beginning, the President extended his appreciation to the questioning assembly members, who, in his opinion, “have displayed an inventiveness unparalleled in the history of the Republic.”

At the beginning, the President extended his appreciation to the questioning assembly members, who, in his opinion, “have displayed an inventiveness unparalleled in the history of the Republic.” And he added: “Thank you for having created the greatest test of temper for the Democrats in this country, because the more absurd your accusation, the greater the opportunity to display the democratic spirit that this country truly needs.”

Quickly, the Head of State highlighted the lack of evidence of the legislators questioning the political trial. “Until now it has been clear that there was no contract signing in my government; that there was no comptroller’s report recommending terminating said contract; and that, much less, there was determination of indications of criminal responsibility.”

The President explained that those who lead this political process were left with the weakest card, “Flopec’s”. This is because they referred to events that did not occur in his government; “They forgot that the contract and the comptroller’s report were from a process that took place between 2018 and 2020, three years before he assumed the presidency,” he explained.

He also recalled that the Comptroller’s report made three recommendations that were adopted in his administration. As a result, Flopec went from losing USD 50 million a year to earning up to USD 180 million in 2022.

During his 49-minute speech, President Guillermo Lasso demonstrated the lack of support for the prosecution. And he exposed the card that the proponents have played: “It is about the already classic ‘this is political’… You know very well that the condition of being a politician is what demands the maximum rigor and adherence to the rules from this trial. Because it is political, it must be fair, correct, honorable”, he sentenced.  

The Head of State detailed all the efforts that his government has made for the stability of the country, such as trade agreements with large markets: China, South Korea and Costa Rica. He also highlighted the fight against drug trafficking, which has made it possible to seize more than 420 tons of drugs in two years. In this way, his administration has increased the seizure of narcotics five times, compared to previous governments.

Lasso ended his participation by encouraging legislators to defend legality. And to meditate for a vote in favor of institutionality and democracy.  

The Trial will resume at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Once the participation of President Guillermo Lasso had ended, the President of the Assembly, Iván Saquicela, suspended the session and announced that it will resume at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. There, each party will be able to reply for a period of time. maximum of 1 hour. And, later, the debate will be opened in which all the assembly members (137) can participate; each will have a maximum period of 10 minutes.

After that, a session must be called to vote on the motion of censure and dismissal. 92 favorable votes are necessary, that is, at least two thirds of the members of the Legislative to remove the president.  

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