Guillermo Alberto Santiago Lasso Mendoza (Latin American Spanish: [ɡiˈʝeɾmo ˈlaso]; born 16 November 1955) is an Ecuadorian businessman, banker and politician who served as the 47th president of Ecuador from 2021 to 2023.

On 17 May, Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by invoking a constitutional measure known as muerte cruzada, triggering the 2023 general election,[19][20] in which he did not run and was succeeded by Daniel Noboa.

[25] At age 15, Lasso worked to earn sufficient money to pay for his baccalaureate service at Colegio La Salle High School.

[37] Ecuador went through an economic collapse in 1999, following which Lasso was temporarily appointed[38][39] to the newly created position of Superminister of the Economy,[40] replacing the resigning Ana Lucía Armijos.

[42] In anticipation of his first presidential campaign, Lasso founded the center-right party Creating Opportunities which outlined many policies against the Rafael Correa administration.

[10] In February 2017, Lasso told The Guardian that should he win the presidential election he would "cordially ask" Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London within 30 days.

[48] In the first round, Lasso was slightly behind indigenous rights activist Yaku Pérez Guartambel but eventually garnered enough votes to secure a narrow second-place finish.

[55] In a statement released by the White House, President Joe Biden congratulated Lasso and Ecuadorian voters for "demonstrating the power of peaceful and inclusive political participation and upholding the ideals of democracy".

[56] After his election victory, bonds for Ecuador soared with many believing that under the Lasso administration, the country will uphold the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

[59] While discussing the migration issue with Colombian President Iván Duque Marquez, Lasso said a possible option would be to grant Venezuelan migrants temporary protected status.

[61] On 20 April, Lasso met with President Lenín Moreno to begin the transitional activities from the previous administration at the Carondelet Palace in Quito.

[3] Lasso vowed that in his first days in office, he would increase COVID vaccination numbers and promote oil production, mining and privatizations in the country.

[72] He announced the privatization of three refineries, highways, the public telecommunications company and the Banco del Pacífico, as well as tax exemption for investments in the tourism sector for 30 years.

[75] His proposals to privatize state resources in the oil sector, expand mining and labor reform have received negative approval from the assembly.

[75] In August 2021, Lasso visited Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss trade deals and for Ecuador to be admitted into the Pacific Alliance.

[75][76] That same month, he helped finalize an agreement that allows citizens of Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru to seek employment and live in any of the four countries without needing a special sponsorship.

[13] While addressing the United Nations General Assembly that same month, he announced that he was in talks with Russia about establishing a Sputnik V vaccine lab in Ecuador.

[14] In September 2021, he announced the launch of the Creation of Opportunities Act (CREO), named after his political party, which includes tax reform and the easing of the labour code.

[83] In October 2021, communities from Ecuador's Amazon region sued over plans by President Guillermo Lasso to expand fossil fuel extraction and mining that they claimed threatens millions of acres of pristine rainforest and the survival of native peoples.

[91] That same month, Lasso visited Beijing and met with President Xi Jinping where they discussed a trade deal set for the end of the year and renegotiated debt talks.

[94] Lasso was met with controversy after he suspended social media communication over the protests and allowed police officials to use deadly force against protestors.

[100] Soon after the referendum, Reuters, Al Jazeera, CNN en Español and the Financial Times projected the failure of all eight of its proposals, with Lasso eventually conceding defeat.

[108][109] In March 2023, impeachment hearings began against Lasso on charges of embezzlement, after Ecuador's constitutional court approved the request from opposition lawmakers.

[19] Parliament voted to open an investigation into the head of state after a website revealed the existence of a system of corruption set up in public companies by Danilo Carrera, a brother-in-law of Lasso.

[20] However the following day, Lasso dissolved the National Assembly, invoking a constitutional measure known as muerte cruzada, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections.

[6] His public agenda includes classic liberal points such as the defense of the division of powers to limit government and of fundamental rights such as freedom of the press.

[132][133][134] Lasso has declared himself an admirer of José María Aznar's Silent Revolution, a series of reforms implemented by the former Prime Minister of Spain.

[7][129] He also declares himself an enemy of the 21st-century socialism promoted from Venezuela and Cuba, whose Ecuadorian chapter identifies with the Citizens' Revolution led by Rafael Correa.

[143][144] In 2018, Lasso underwent a surgical procedure on his spinal cord at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States following a back injury from a fall at a pilgrimage in Spain in 2013.

[33] Soon after the release of Cartas a Mis Hijos, former Prime Minister of Spain José María Aznar stated the book held key insights into what is needed for development.