Solution of conflicts of municipal competences: Ecuador

Abstract

The classic model of political centralization seeks to be overcome from the democratic reform of the decentralized unitary State that prescribes the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008; however, its effectiveness faces difficulties; which are due, among other reasons, to the restrictive interpretation of the legislative power attributed to the levels of local government, in matters of its exclusive competence. The purpose of this study is to discuss to what extent the principle of competence can be effective to strengthen decentralized government and review the limits imposed on the legislative activity of the National Assembly on matters of exclusive competence of the decentralized autonomous governments. The proposed thesis consists in affirming the prevalence of the normative acts of the levels of local government that regulate the exercise of exclusive competences on normative dispositions of legal rank, by virtue of the principle of competence. To argue this approach, the first part contains descriptive theoretical reflections on fundamental concepts related to the scope of the principle of decentralized unitary government; the second part, includes an empirical analysis of critical reflection regarding sentences of control of legality and constitutionality; and, in the end, there is a brief reflection inherent to the principles that are applicable to the coherence between ordinances, laws and the Ecuadorian Constitution.