Ecuador Congress Approves Plebiscite

Quito, Feb 13 (Prensa Latina) The Ecuadorian Congress minority bloc and PSP, Patriotic Society Party, approved President Rafael Correa´s request to hold a referendum to set up a Constituent Assembly.

Approval was tied to some changes to Assembly bylaws, which social and political movements that rallied outside Congress protested.

The Supreme Election Court can now arrange the fully-empowered Assembly to hold elections in 150 days, not the 125 days the president had proposed.

Among the conditions eliminated lie collecting one percent of voters´ signatures to run as Assembly candidate.

Neither will the Constituent Assembly be able to disband Congress, which the social and indigenous movements consider a violation of their rights.