Calls for the impeachment of the president of South America

Ecuador's opposition has filed a formal impeachment request against President Guillermo Lasso, alleging extortion and embezzlement from public companies. The petition was signed by 59 assembly members from the Union for Hope (UNES), Social Christian, and Democratic Left parties. The impeachment process must be approved by 92 of the Assembly's 137 lawmakers and the court system must establish "judicial responsibility" to remove Lasso. Veloz is confident of legislative support due to "abundant" evidence to back the claims. Lasso's government has rejected the impeachment effort as a "destabilization" attempt by the Assembly.

The legislature declassified documents related to probes into corruption at public companies, seeking to build its case for impeaching President Guillermo Lasso. The Assembly approved a report earlier this month that accused Lasso of doling out positions with state companies and favorable contracts in exchange for bribes. Lasso's office dismissed the report as "an attack on reason," arguing it lacked "legal and binding validity." Opposition lawmakers have moved forward with their impeachment efforts despite having failed to uncover any connection between Lasso and an alleged bribery scheme involving the Albanian mafia, Ecuador's public electric utility, and Lasso's brother-in-law. Lasso, a former banker, scored a surprise victory in the 2021 presidential election against leftist rival Andrez Arauz.