Constitutional Chaos: Lawmakers Seek Asylum
Two dozen members of Ecuador’s legislature are facing treason charges after a crisis over a popular vote last week on constitutional reform.
Nearly half are now seeking asylum in Colombia, after warrants for their arrest on treason charges were issued, the BBC reports, and more may follow suit.
The 24 legislators, who are part of a larger group that oppose constitutional reform called for by President Rafael Correa, are accused of sedition for “rising against the government, refusing to recognise the constitution, and impeding a meeting of the Congress,” the BBC quotes a prosecutor as saying.
In recent days, both legislators and constitutional court judges have been dismissed—and, in some cases, reinstated—as part of the ongoing battle over the future direction of the country.
