Ecuador's President Dissolves Congress and Triggers Early Elections Amid Impeachment Threat.

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly and brought forward legislative and presidential elections, a day after he defended himself in an impeachment hearing. Opposition politicians say Lasso disregarded warnings of embezzlement related to a contract at state-owned oil transportation company Flopec, charges the president denies. Lasso says the impeachment process is politically motivated and has sparked a grave crisis that has threatened democracy. The dissolution was necessary, he said. Ecuador's military and police "have and will uphold their absolute respect for the constitution and law," Nelson Proano, commander of Ecuador's armed forces, said in a video statement, adding that Lasso's decision to dissolve the assembly was enshrined under the constitution.