Fired Ecuadorian lawmakers barred from Congress

QUITO (Reuters) - Dozens of protesters wielding sticks fought off fired Ecuadorian lawmakers who tried to force their way into Congress on Wednesday in another clash in the legislators' feud with President Rafael Correa.

More than half of the volatile Andean state's lawmakers were fired in March after they tried to thwart Correa's calls for a referendum on an assembly to change the constitution, a body that could curb the power of old elites.

Ecuadorian television showed protesters shouting "rats" as they hurled sticks at legislators' cars and stabbed their tires. Hundreds of police ringed the Congress building.

Investors watch Ecuador closely for any signs of instability, with three presidents having fallen amid congressional unrest in the last decade. The popular Correa is vowing to renegotiate oil deals and the national debt.

Correa won the referendum last month by a huge majority but a top court then reinstated some of the fired legislators. Fighting back, Congress then sacked the judges.

The opposition is now shifting tactics and plans to win control of the new assembly to rewrite the constitution while fired lawmakers vow to reclaim their seats in the legislature.

"We will try to enter Congress every day," said Sylka Sanchez, one of the fired lawmakers.