President Rafael Correa's efforts to convene a constituent assembly to redraw the constitution suffered a serious setback this week when the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) washed its hands of the issue. The TSE chose to empower congress to vote on Correa's decree, ordering it to organise a referendum on the constituent assembly. Correa is now reliant on the fickle support of former president Lucio Gutiérrez, the leader of the Partido Sociedad Patriótica (PSP), in congress. Indigenous and social movements backing Correa's proposal delivered an ultimatum to congress: approve the decree or face a popular uprising.End of preview - This article contains approximately 492 words.
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