Posted on 3/23/2005, 3:59:05 PM by SmithL
QUITO, Ecuador -- Police fired tear gas into Ecuador's Congress before dawn Wednesday to disperse opposition lawmakers who refused to leave after a legislative session that cut short a debate on candidates for attorney general.
Congressman Omar Quintana, president of the legislature, ordered the electricity cut off to disrupt a sit-in by about 40 lawmakers, then authorized police to move in at about 2 a.m. to force the 15 remaining legislators to abandon the building.
Ecuadorean TV broadcast images of two policemen firing tear gas into the darkened chamber and lawmakers rushing out through a side door. There were no injuries or arrests.
Quintana abruptly ended the legislative session late Tuesday just as the opposition appeared on the verge of mustering enough votes to block a government-backed candidate from consideration for attorney general.
The confrontation followed a surprise decree by President Lucio Gutierrez's government declaring an extended Easter holiday. But Gutierrez revoked the decree after mayors in Ecuador's principal cities responded with a call on the population to wage "civil disobedience" to protest the move.
The government decree said Wednesday
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Sounds like a plan!
Chavez started by replacing the judiciary, too (which is what this sit-in is all about). Anybody know more about this situation?
Found this about Ecuador in another article. It kind of explains it all. In November 2002, Lucio Gutierrez, a leftist military man, won the elections in Ecuador, defeating his opponent, Alavaro Naboa, richest man in the country. Mr. Gutierrez won despite the stigma attached to his unsuccessful bid to overthrow the elected government through a coup in January 2000, in the same way as Mr. Chavez did in Venezuela.
If pro is the opposite of con, what's the opposite of progress?
Congressmen are like diapers, they both need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
Even in Quito.
Sounds like a plan!
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Yea, wouldn't be so bad if that happened here every so often. Like during those stupid steriod hearings, or when Bush passed that Medicaid bill... :)
From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.
-Thomas Jefferson
Ecuador is becoming a leftist country and will therefore become further impoverished.
Ping to see a Chavez wannabe.
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