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### Viewing cable 06QUITO492, CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL AND JUDICIAL COUNCIL

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06QUITO492 | 2006-02-24 20:46 | 2011-05-02 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Quito

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    OO RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHQT #0492/01 0552046
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    O 242046Z FEB 06
    FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3723
    INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 5385
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1594
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9681
    RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 0367
    RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 9986
    RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

` `

    UNCLAS QUITO 000492

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KJUS EC
    SUBJECT: CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL AND JUDICIAL COUNCIL
    RECONSTITUTED

    ¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Coastal parties voted together on
    February 22 to select a new Constitutional Tribunal,
    excluding the main highland party, the Democratic Left (ID).
    The process followed constitutional guidelines and fulfills a
    key benchmark in our democracy promotion strategy.  Important
    cases pending before the new court include the
    constitutionality of Congress' dissolution of the Supreme
    Court and the selection process for the current Supreme Court
    in December.  In a separate but related development, on
    February 22 the Supreme Court named a new National Judicial
    Council, the administrative institution of the judicial
    branch, which will be responsible for developing a list of
    candidates for Attorney General for congressional approval,
    another milestone in the democratic rebuilding process.
    While recognizing the importance of reconstituting Ecuador's
    institutions, we do not recommend a USG public statement on
    the controversial new constitutional court.  End Summary.

    Congress Chooses Constitutional Tribunal Judges
    --------------------------------------------- --

    ¶2.  (U) Ecuador's Constitutional Tribunal rules on
    constitutional issues, much like the U.S. Supreme Court.
    (The Ecuadorian Supreme Court, in contrast, functions as a
    Court of Appeals.)  Newly-named constitutional court judges
    will be sworn in on February 24 for a four-year term.  This
    court replaces its predecessor, selected in 2003 and
    disbanded by Congress in December 2004.  The court has been
    vacant since then, causing an accumulation of 1,400 pending
    cases.  The nine judges were chosen, per the constitution,
    from lists of nominees submitted to Congress by the following
    groups:  the President (2), the Supreme Court (2), Congress
    (2), municipal and provincial leaders (1), unions (1), and
    business chambers (1).  However, this constitutional process
    resulted in a highly politicized court, with coastal parties
    over-represented and the highland center-left ID party left
    out.

    ¶3.  (U) An alliance of Leon Febres Cordero's PSC, Abdala
    Bucaram's PRE, Alvaro Noboa's PRIAN, and ex-President Lucio
    Gutierrez' PSP, and independents reached a simple majority of

    55 votes to approve the judges.  Of the judges named, four
    reportedly have strong ties to the PSC, one to the PRE, one
    to PRIAN, one PSP, and two are independent.  The ID was
    surprised by the congressional vote, and controversy over the
    new court ensued.  ID and other opponents claim the court
    should be limited to serve out the term of its
    illegally-destituted predecessor, ending in January 2007.

    ¶4.  (U) The most prominent cases in the backlog facing the
    new court include the constitutionality of the congressional
    resolution which disbanded the Supreme Court in December
    2004, the law passed to select the current Supreme Court
    sworn in in December 2005, and congressional approval of
    Claudio Mueckay as Human Rights Ombudsman.  The court may
    also be called on to rule on the prosecution of ex-President
    Gutierrez and the constitutionality of the free trade
    agreement if signed between Ecuador and the United States.

    ¶5.  (U) In addition to the outcry from the ID and other
    parties not represented in the new court, four citizen groups
    (Justice Networks, Citizen Participation, Rupture of the 25,
    and the Assembly of Women of Quito) have publicly criticized
    the politicization of the new court and the qualifications of
    some of the new magistrates.

    New Judicial Council Named
    --------------------------

    ¶6.  (U) Meanwhile, the Supreme Court named a new National
    Judicial Council on February 22.  The council is the
    administrative and disciplinary body of the judicial branch.
    The council will be responsible for sending the list of
    candidates for the Attorney General to Congress.  Also, the
    Judicial Council must fill 120 vacant positions in the
    judicial branch and resolve 130 pending complaints filed
    against judicial workers.  Press reports that two of the new
    council members have strong ties to the PSC and one has ties
    to DP, while one is closely linked with the corrupt judicial
    union FENAJE.

    Comment
    -------

    ¶7.  (SBU) While the creation of a Constitutional Tribunal and

    naming of the council fills a void in the judiciary, and does
    so by means envisioned in the constitution, the resulting
    institutions are likely to become highly politicized,
    undermining their credibility.  We therefore do not recommend
    any USG statement on this development (in contrast to the
    selection of the Supreme Court, which we publicly praised).
    There are ironies here, since the ad hoc approach to
    replacing the Supreme Court (not envisioned in the
    constitution) resulted in a more independent, and thus far
    more credible, institution.

    BROWN

`