Lasso gives his report to the nation outside the dissolved Ecuadorian assembly, before traveling to the US.

A festive atmosphere, a red carpet, the president with a belt on his shoulder and surrounded by soldiers. This is how the Ecuadorian president arrived this Wednesday, William Lasso, to the place where he addressed the nation, before flying to the US, where he will undergo surgery.

For the first time since Ecuador’s return to democracy, a presidential speech was not held in the National Assembly, which the president closed last week to avoid impeachment for alleged corruption.

“After this historic decision, due to the depth of its meaning, Never again will the President of the Republic be at the mercy of the Assembly to devote his time to conspiracy and prevent the government from advancing in the country’s development plan,” said Lasso, surrounded by his ministers, already in the small hall of the social platform Quitumba, south of the capital, a public office building where citizens carry out the official procedures chosen for the occasion.

Ecuador’s leader last week activated a constitutional clause known as death by the cross, which also calls for new general elections to be held within six months. In the meantime, he will rule by decree, but he will only be able to sign economic laws that will have to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

Last week he already sent the tax reform, and this Wednesday he signed the reorganization of free zones in the country. “We have made a lot of progress in these two years, and we will continue to do so in the coming months, without rest and with more energy,” said Laso, who is also preparing labor reform.

The opposition, led by allies of former left-wing president Rafael Correa (2007-2017), warned that will cancel all measures imposed by Lasso if they come to power in the next elections.

Electoral bodies decided to hold the first round of elections this Wednesday August 20 and others on October 15 if necessary. Lasso is still considering running again, despite the fact that his popularity is less than 15%after the country recorded its most violent year in history in 2022.