Correísmo faced a new setback in its attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the Legislative Administration Council (CAL), following Judge Santiago Altamirano's ruling that declared its protection action inadmissible. The Citizen Revolution caucus sought to overturn the election of CAL members, questioning the procedure promoted by the legislative majority.
The hearing took place on June 12 in Quito, where attorney Lorena Correa represented the correísta bloc and argued that their participation rights had been violated. However, the judge considered that the claim was unclear and that there was no violation of constitutional rights, so he dismissed the request and closed the case.
Correísmo sought to have the appointment of four CAL members declared null and to call a new session to reformulate that election. They argued that their bloc was excluded by not being allowed to nominate candidates, which would have favored legislators from Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN), aligned with the government.
La legisladora de RC, Paola Cabezas, reclama al presidente Niels Olsen
Nevertheless, the Assembly's defense, led by attorney Mercedes Mediavilla, emphasized that the election of internal authorities doesn't constitute a constitutional right and is beyond judicial control. It was also recalled that the Constitutional Court has already protected the independence among branches of government, limiting judges' intervention in legislative decisions.
The RC caucus has lost political weight after the resignation of Mónica Salazar and the expulsion of two other assembly members. This new ruling demonstrates its growing institutional weakness and the failure of its judicial strategy to force internal changes in the Assembly.
The judge's decision reaffirms legislative autonomy and nullifies a correísta offensive that sought to alter CAL's composition through judicial means. This defeat represents another setback for a caucus trying to regain prominence through institutional disputes instead of constructive proposals.
