Top Ecuador minister resigns after president's reform plans rejected in referendums

Proposed reforms to give the attorney general's office more autonomy to choose prosecutors and reduce the number of lawmakers in the 137-seat assembly were also rejected. "It's not easy to lead a country where political adversaries always lie waiting to strike a blow," Jimenez, who held the post since March 2022, said in a resignation letter posted on his Twitter account.

Ecuador's Minister of Government Francisco Jimenez resigned on Thursday amid cabinet changes, after President Guillermo Lasso suffered defeat in referendums on extradition for organized crime and other topics over the weekend. Government adviser Aparicio Caicedo, a friend of Lasso, also resigned.

Both officials leave in the wake of a referendum vote on Sunday when the majority of Ecuadoreans rejected plans to allow extradition for crimes related to trafficking drugs and weapons, among others. Proposed reforms to give the attorney general's office more autonomy to choose prosecutors and reduce the number of lawmakers in the 137-seat assembly were also rejected.

"It's not easy to lead a country where political adversaries always lie waiting to strike a blow," Jimenez, who held the post since March 2022, said in a resignation letter posted on his Twitter account. Lasso has repeatedly clashed with lawmakers over opposition to his security and economic reforms. Some members of Ecuador's National Assembly tried to remove him during demonstrations by indigenous groups last year.

Lasso called on Ecuador's diverse political sectors to unite for the country's benefit on Monday, a move rejected by various opposition political parties. New government officials will be sworn in on Thursday afternoon, the president's press office said.

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