Guillermo Lasso: Ecuador President dissolves parliament

Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso has dissolved the country's parliament amid an impeachment trial.

The conservative president issued the decree which disbands the opposition-controlled National Assembly, in which he is accused of turning a blind eye to embezzlement - which he denies.

He will now have to call a general election within six months.

Until then, under a constitutional clause called "muerte cruzada" (mutual death), he will govern by decree.

The provision was introduced in 2008 but had never been used in Ecuador before.

It is seen as an extreme measure and opposition groups, including Conaie, Ecuador's influential confederation of indigenous groups, had warned that they stage mass protests if it was invoked.