Ecuador could hold early elections on Aug. 20: electoral court

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso addresses the nation next to members of government, after he dissolved the National Assembly by decree, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections, a day after he defended himself in an impeachment hearing, in Quito, Ecuador May 17, 2023. Bolivar Parra/Ecuador Presidency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador could hold early legislative and presidential elections on Aug. 20, the electoral court said on Thursday, a day after President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree and brought forward the vote scheduled for 2025.

Lasso invoked the constitution's so-called "two-way death" provision on Wednesday, which allows the president to call elections for both his post and the assembly under certain circumstances, including if actions by the legislature are blocking the functioning of government.