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Sacked Ecuadorean MPs reinstated | Sacked Ecuadorean MPs reinstated |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Ecuador's top court has reinstated 57 lawmakers sacked last month for trying to block President Rafael Correa's call for a referendum on political reform. | Ecuador's top court has reinstated 57 lawmakers sacked last month for trying to block President Rafael Correa's call for a referendum on political reform. |
The constitutional court's decision follows an appeal by the legislators against an electoral court ruling. | The constitutional court's decision follows an appeal by the legislators against an electoral court ruling. |
Mr Correa said the decision was "shameless" and did not say if he would accept it as valid. | |
Last week he won a landslide victory in the poll for an assembly to bypass Congress and write a new constitution. | |
Announcing the latest verdict, the head of Ecuador's top court, Santiago Velasquez, said the decision taken last month to sack the 57 congressmen and women was unconstitutional. | |
His court voted by a margin of 6-3 to reinstate the sacked congressmen. | |
Opposing views | |
But Mr Correa insisted that the lawmakers had been sacked for incompetence, and did not deserve their jobs back. | |
"They [court judges] struck a shameless deal with the 57 dismissed lawmakers," he said. | |
However, the BBC's South America correspondent, Daniel Schweimler, says it is by no means certain that the 57 will be able to resume their old jobs. | |
Correspondents say that, despite the decision to reinstate them, the 57 members of Congress will find their powers considerably reduced once the constituent assembly is in place. | Correspondents say that, despite the decision to reinstate them, the 57 members of Congress will find their powers considerably reduced once the constituent assembly is in place. |
Mr Correa has been embroiled in a bitter conflict with the opposition Congress since taking power in January. | Mr Correa has been embroiled in a bitter conflict with the opposition Congress since taking power in January. |
He has argued that Congress is corrupt and the cause of many of the country's problems. | He has argued that Congress is corrupt and the cause of many of the country's problems. |
Mr Correa's opponents fear he will use the assembly to try and weaken the power of the legislature. | Mr Correa's opponents fear he will use the assembly to try and weaken the power of the legislature. |