In the last couple of weeks, Ecuador's fragile democracy has
threatened once again to come apart at the seams. On October 20, the
Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) ruled that President Alfredo Palacio's
call to hold a referendum in December to elect a constituent assembly to
amend the country's constitution was illegal.
However, responding to massive public opposition to the ruling,
Palacio has insisted on going ahead with both the referendum and
constituent assembly, sparking calls from the hostile legislature for
his resignation.
According to Prensa Latina news agency, on October 22 Palacio refused
to back down, telling a meeting with representatives of popular
organisations that the "proposed assembly is irreversible, inevitable,
necessary and perfectible".
The convening of a constituent assembly was one of the demands that
Palacio, a retired cardiologist and former vice-president, promised to
carry out in the wake of the mass protests that led the Congress in
April to remove from office President Lucio Gutierrez and replace him
with then vice-president Palacio.
