Ecuador president Lasso dissolves National Assembly, triggers early elections

FILE PHOTO: Ecuadorean presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso speaks near vice president candidate Andres Paez while waiting for the results of the national election in a hotel, in Guayaquil, April 2, 2017. REUTERS/Henry Romero

QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree on Wednesday, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections and heading off an attempt by opposition politicians to impeach him.

Police and military decked in riot gear guarded the National Assembly building from behind barricades in capital Quito, allowing no one inside.