Ecuadoran President Lucio Gutierrez Saturday lifted a state of emergency in the country's capital after Congress scheduled a special session to discuss the political crisis prompted by mass protests against recent judicial reforms.
"We have fulfilled the primary goal to suspend the Supreme Court of Justice," Gutierrez said, announcing on television an end to the state of emergency decreed Friday that saw members of the Supreme Court removed.
The president's decision came after a meeting with Congress Speaker Omar Quintana, judicial advisers and military commanders.
Gutierrez's emergency declaration had curbed individual liberties and empowered the government to take extraordinary measures to quell unrest in Quito.
In a televised address to the nation Friday, Gutierrez justified the drastic measures saying he had been compelled to do so to maintain calm and stability in the country. But opponents swiftly criticized the president's move as worthy of a dictator, and legal experts said they did not believe he had the authority to dissolve the high court by decree.
"We are informing the legislators one by one so that they attend the extraordinary session in Quito this Sunday," Quintana said. The 100-member Congress had been set to meet Tuesday to discuss the future of the court.
"At the moment the country is without a Supreme Court," said Ecuador's Justice Minister Oscar Ayerve as he urged lawmakers to find a mechanism as they meet that will allow a new, independent judiciary to be designated.
But many Ecuadorans drove through Quito's main streets sounding their vehicles' horns in protest, as around 200 police and soldiers were posted around the government headquarters.
Opponents called for Gutierrez's resignation. Vice President Alfredo Palacios, running mate to Gutierrez in the 2002 election, added his voice in opposition. "I reject, as much as anyone, the dictatorial state of affairs that the Ecuadoran people are being subjected to."
"Lucio has taken off his mask and has shown himself to be a complete dictator," said Carlos Solorzano, a former Supreme Court chief justice, who said the president had violated the Constitution and had no power to shut down the court.
Solorzano and others, including former president Leon Febres Cordero, said only the legislature could dissolve the high court and name a new one under Ecuador's Constitution.
But the armed forces expressed support for Gutierrez. Vice Admiral Victor Hugo Rosero, the chief of the joint command, said the sole aim of the state of emergency was "to recover the peace and order lost in the last few days."
In a statement, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed his concern and called for a constitutional and peaceful solution to the crisis.
"The Secretary General is following with concern the latest developments in Ecuador," spokesman Fred Eckhard said. "The present crisis may aggravate an already unstable situation."
Gutierrez had said Friday he would not allow lawmakers to reform the Supreme Court through a simple congressional resolution, insisting that new changes should take place after consulting the people.
Several labor unions have launched a series of 24-hour strikes, blaming the president for attempts to manipulate the court to consolidate his power. Some schools have closed, but banks have remained open.
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