Impeachment trial against President of Ecuador begins

The political trial against the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, will begin in the plenary session of the National Assembly, where the president will assist to defend himself against the accusations of embezzlement.

According to the charges, Lasso committed the crime of embezzlement upon learning of alleged irregularities in a contract between the state-owned Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana (Flopec) and the Amazonas Tanker company, and even then, he did nothing to prevent further damage to the State.

Assembly members, Viviana Veloz, from the Union for Hope (UNES) bench, and Esteban Torres, from the Social Christian Party (PSC), will be tasked to expose the political responsibility of the ruler.

The president will have three hours to present his defense argument. After his participation, Lasso must leave the plenary so as to allow the debate between the legislators.

This debate could last several days, since the 137 assembly members have the right to speak 10 minutes each.

Once the discussion has ended, another session will be scheduled a few days later to definitively solve, based on the evidence, whether the removal of the president is approved or not.

In case of reaching a sufficient number of votes to remove him, the vice president, Alfredo Borrero, must assume office for the remaining time of the current period, that is, until 2025.