About $30,000 is the cost of the sessions held by the National Assembly outside its headquarters, in the Legislative Palace in Quito, as reported by the president of the Legislature, Niels Olsen, from the ranks of National Democratic Action (ADN).
“One of the objectives of the National Assembly is to be closer to the people and for the people to be closer to the National Assembly. The approximate costs are $30,000 for each of the sessions; but, if that is what it costs to be closer to the people, that is what we are going to do,” Olsen justified.
“Being close to the people means meeting in territories, cities, provinces, being close to local and provincial media that do not have the opportunity to be in the plenary session of the Assembly, being close to the unions, in their sessions, that do not have the opportunity to be with us,” he expressed.
Mariana Yumbay, legislator from Pachakutik (PK)criticized that the spending on sessions in territories is not justified considering that there is no money to even solve the problems of Ecuador’s health system, and that there is “rival” insecurity, among other problems.
He said that legislators “don’t even have contact with citizens.” He expressed: “We are locked up, for example, in Guayas, in Ecotec, some with complete security, the others walking around, risking even their lives.”
He pointed out to vindicate the role of the Assembly: “We should sit down to work here, in Quito, and prioritize and work on the laws that the country needs, and above all save.”
In recent weeks, the Assembly has met in Guayaquil, Machala and Cuenca. (YO)
