La silla prestada

fragilidad del presidencialismo y descomposición de la política sin sujeto social

Abstract

The article examines the fall of President Lucio Gutiérrez as part of a broader structural crisis of Ecuador’s presidential system, characterized by institutional fragility, party-system decay, and the absence of a cohesive social subject capable of sustaining stable political projects. Celi argues that Ecuadorian democracy functions as an elitist, corporatized, and de‑institutionalized regime in which elected governments quickly lose organic ties to their constituencies, become trapped in precarious parliamentary negotiations, and ultimately rely on the Armed Forces to resolve recurring crises. Gutiérrez’s presidency—born from an anti‑establishment vote but lacking real social grounding—became increasingly fragmented under external economic pressures, unstable legislative alliances, and mounting public delegitimization, culminating in its collapse through a combination of political conspiracy, civil disobedience, and institutional breakdown.