QUITO,  (Reuters) – Ecuadorean President Rafael  Correa left the door open yesterday to dissolving the Andean  nation’s legislature and calling for new general elections,  about a year after the last poll.

The leftist leader’s statement came after a week of heated  debate in parliament — where Correa’s party has the most seats  but not an outright majority — over an education bill and a  new hydrocarbons law.

“We don’t exclude the dissolution of the National Assembly  and the call for legislative and presidential elections for the  remainder of the term,” Correa said during a ceremony at the  port city of Guayaquil.

“If the National Assembly continues to be blocked by  unscrupulous maneuvers … we will call the majority to speak.  We will call the Ecuadorean public to go to the ballot box as  many times as needed,” he said.

The next scheduled national elections are in 2013.

Correa has said he would enact a law on Monday aimed at  increasing state control over the country’s oil sector. That  could set the stage for nationalization of non-complying  companies. [ID:nN24270326]

Congress had scheduled a debate on the bill for Sunday  evening, but was forced to cancel the session when there were  not enough lawmakers at the legislature.

The law will govern new contracts that the government is  preparing, aimed at increasing state oil revenues.