Government sends Constitutional Court an eviction notice, but cancels it a day later

The government on Tuesday sent a letter to the Constitutional Court ordering it to vacate its Quito headquarters. On Wednesday, it sent court president Jhoel Escudero another letter advising him to ignore the previous order.

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court in Quito

Critics are calling the turn of events an act of intimidation by the government in its conflict with the court over its ruling suspending parts of three laws that President Daniel Noboa claims are essential for combating organized crime.

In its Tuesday letter, the Energy Ministry, ordered all court operations to vacate the Tamagar Building in Quito, which it had occupied for six years. The ministry, which acts as landlord of the property, claimed the space was needed due to the recent reorganization of government functions. “The consolidation of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of the Environment, ordered by the president, requires a reallocation of office space, which requires the removal of court functions,” Nancy Uriarte, administrative coordinator of the Energy Ministry wrote.

On Wednesday, however Uriarte sent another letter to Escudero advising him that the order to vacate had been rescinded.

According to constitutional attorney Raul Garzón, the order to vacate the premises and then its retraction was an obvious act of intimidation by the Noboa government. “There is no other explanation for it,” Garzón said, “and it was almost infantile in its execution. It is an embarrassment to the government the way it was handled.”

Garzón points out the Energy Ministry did not offer the court other accommodations in its Tuesday order to vacate. “What are the judges expected to do, hold their hearings at the bus station?” he asked. “It is one thing for the government to object to court rulings but to threaten the court, first with a protest march and now with eviction, seems to me to be acts of madness. We were hoping emotions would cool down after last week, but this is obviously not happening.”

Attorney and communication professor Andrés Córdoba says a cooling of emotions is essential for the function the government. “We face so many crises, with crime, health care, the economy, it is puzzling that Noboa and the National Assembly have decided that the battle with the court is the centerpiece of its mission.”

Referring to opinion polls, Córdoba says that Noboa is “not listening” to the people. “Although they support him on many issues, they don’t understand the fight with the court,” he says. “With all the problems we face, I think the president would be wise to back off of this confrontation.”