government protests drew thousands of people into the streets, and the opposition declared a general strike last week. Then, on Friday, Gutierrez declared a state of emergency, which banned demonstrations and gatherings, as he also dissolved the Supreme Court. The president's unexpected decision came with a turn in his political fortunes after eight members of the populist PRIAN, or National Action Institutional Renewal Party, of former president Alvaro Noboa defected from the government benches, giving the opposition the majority in Congress. Experts in constitutional law stressed that the president cannot dissolve the high court, but it may be that Gutierrez wanted to preempt the opposition. --SP 2342 Local Time 2042 GMT
