Guillermo Lasso

Guillermo Lasso
Lasso in 2023
47th President of Ecuador
In office
24 May 2021 – 23 November 2023
Vice PresidentAlfredo Borrero
Preceded byLenín Moreno
Succeeded byDaniel Noboa
Ecuadorian Itinerant Ambassador
In office
15 January 2003 – 15 April 2003
PresidentLucio Gutiérrez
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Minister of the Economy
In office
17 August 1999 – 24 September 1999
Serving with Ana Lucía Armijos
PresidentJamil Mahuad
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Governor of Guayas
In office
10 August 1998 – 17 August 1999
PresidentJamil Mahuad
Preceded byGuido Chiriboga Parra
Succeeded byBenjamín Rosales
Personal details
Born
Guillermo Alberto Santiago Lasso Mendoza

(1955-11-16) 16 November 1955 (age 68)
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Political partyCreating Opportunities
Spouse
(m. 1980)
Children5
EducationPontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (dropped out)
WebsiteOfficial website

Guillermo Alberto Santiago Lasso Mendoza (Latin American Spanish: [ɡiˈʝeɾmo ˈlaso]; born 16 November 1955) is an Ecuadorian businessman, banker and politician who served as the 47th president of Ecuador from 2021 to 2023.[1][2] He was the country's first conservative president in nearly two decades, marking a shift in the country's electorate.[3]

Lasso served as Superminister of Economy during the Jamil Mahuad presidency briefly in 1999. He previously served as Governor of Guayas from 1998 to 1999. In 2003, he briefly served as the Itinerant Ambassador of Ecuador during the Lucio Gutiérrez administration. Aside from his political career, Lasso is also a banker and previously was CEO of Banco Guayaquil.[4] During the presidency of Rafael Correa, Lasso became a noted critic of his administration.[5]

A traditional economic liberal,[6] his public agenda includes classical liberal points such as the defence of the division of powers to limit government and of fundamental rights.[7] He has also expressed opinions in favour of lower taxes and is a free-market advocate.[8] Lasso became involved in presidential politics when he founded the Creating Opportunities Party in 2012.[9] He first ran for president in 2013 where he came in a distant second place behind President Correa.[5] He would later run again in the 2017 election, advancing to the run-off, running against former Vice President Lenín Moreno, and narrowly losing the election.[10] In his third presidential campaign in 2021, Lasso narrowly advanced to the April run-off round of the election in February and was later elected.[11]

Lasso's presidency was noted for COVID-19 vaccination initiatives and economic relief packages through tax increases on the wealthy and funding with the International Monetary Fund.[12][13][14] However, the increase of food and fuel prices, as well as his economic policies, culminated in a series of protests across the country. The government's response raised concerns over human rights abuses, with crackdowns on indigenous protests at the hands of security forces,[15][16] as well as alleged excessive force against journalists.[17] Lasso's approval rating dropped significantly throughout 2022 and in 2023.[18]

In May 2023, the National Assembly officially began a second impeachment proceeding against Lasso. On 17 May, Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by invoking a constitutional measure known as muerte cruzada, triggering the 2023 general election,[19][20] in which he did not run and was succeeded by Daniel Noboa.[21][22][23]

  1. ^ "LATEST: Ecuador's pro-market candidate Guillermo Lasso wins the presidential runoff". Bloomberg Quicktake. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ Garcia Cano, Regina; Solano, Gonzalo (11 April 2021). "Ecuador goes with conservative banker in presidential vote". Associated Press.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference right was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ELU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 2013election was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Guillermo Lasso: Mi vida me hizo liberal". El Universo (in Spanish). 9 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Ecuador's Guillermo Lasso Wins Presidential Election". The Wall Street Journal. 11 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Lasso recognizes Correa's triumph but also highlights that CREO has become the second political force". Cre.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference fraud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference runoff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference vax was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference wealthy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference billIMF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Repression of protests is causing human rights crisis in Ecuador". Amnesty International. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Indigenous protester dies in Ecuador as violence increases". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Ecuador: Investigate Police Abuse During Women's Day Marches". Human Rights Watch. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  18. ^ "CEDATOS: 54,6% desaprueba la gestión de Guillermo Lasso". Pinchincha Comunicaciones. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference dissolves was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimpeach was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Presidente Guillermo Lasso reveló que no será candidato en estas elecciones". El Telégrafo. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  22. ^ Torres, Arturo; Schmidt, Samantha (19 May 2023). "After dissolving legislature, Ecuador's president says he's leaving, too". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Daniel Noboa is sworn in as Ecuador's president, inheriting the leadership of a country on edge". AP. 23 November 2023.

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