Ecuador's president fires Supreme Court

QUITO, Ecuador, April 16 (UPI) -- Ecuador's president has fired the Supreme Court and declared a state of emergency in the capital, wracked by days of mass protests and strikes.

"I want the people of Ecuador to put everything in the hands of God," said President Lucio Gutierrez amid protests attracting some 10,000 people calling for his resignation, El Comercio newspaper reported Saturday.

Tensions developed in December when Gutierrez first fired the Supreme Court, alleging the magistrates were biased against him. But then, in March, a new court dropped corruption charges against ex-President Abdala Bucaram.

Gutierrez said the justices were biased in favor of opposition parties, particularly the Social Christians.