Ecuador lawmakers re-elect National Assembly president

FILE PHOTO: Opposition assembly members vote on whether to proceed with an impeachment process against Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, at the National Assembly in Quito, Ecuador May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro/File Photo

QUITO (Reuters) - Independent lawmaker Virgilio Saquicela was re-elected president of Ecuador's National Assembly on Sunday, supported by politicians who want an impeachment process against President Guillermo Lasso to advance to a vote for his possible removal.

Saquicela, who took over as president of the National Assembly in May last year, has become a principal figure in the process against Lasso, who is accused of embezzlement in an oil transportation contract.