Lawmakers fired for smashing up hotel

[j.m@talk]

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Four Ecuadorean legislators were permanently expelled from Congress on Thursday for getting drunk and smashing up a hotel in Peru last month.

One of the lawmakers, Maria Augusta Rivas, had also accused another of the four of trying to rape her in the alcohol-fueled incidents at a hotel in Lima where they were attending trade talks in April.

Congress fired all four, who belonged to different political parties, for violating its code of ethics and said they had "damaged and discredited the country's international image in a shameful and disgraceful incident."

Disenchantment with politicians discredited by corruption scandals has fed popular uprisings which have ousted three presidents in this poor Andean nation since 1997.

The latest incident took place only last month, when Congress fired President Lucio Gutierrez for abuse of power during mass protests.

The dismissal of the four legislators will not affect the balance of power in the 100-seat, single chamber Congress, as they will be replaced by other members of their parties. New President Alfredo Palacio does not have support from any group in Congress.

The legislators damaged a hotel room and the lobby and assaulted a bellboy and a receptionist, according to the congressional report.


http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/p/reuters120.gif

[leprechaun_40]

Hey, we need rules like that, we could fire all of congress and Dumbya at once, get someone else in here:D

[zybch]

They were thinking too small.
Instead of getting drunk and smashing up a hotel, they should have followed the example set by the US congress and got drunk on power and smashed up a whole country or two.

[tantone]

Incessant US-basher, you are. See, a lot of good American's fought and died to make sure other American's had the right to bash their own country. However, they didn't fight and die for Australians to do it. We still lynch foreign US-bashers.

[zybch]

I wasn't US bashing. Corrupt polititian bashing perhaps.
After all, my country's leader joined Bush, Blair and company in smashing up countries they had no right or business being in as well.

Its only the small crimes that people get punished for, make the crime big enough and you end up with whole countries defending your actions for you so you don't have to take ANY responsibility.

That pretty much sums up the US, UK and Aussie leadership.