Ecuador judge frees ex-president

Mr Gutierrez had been held since last October on charges of endangering national security.

The judge dismissed the charges, which were based on Mr Gutierrez' refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of his interim successor, Alfredo Palacio.

On his release, Mr Gutierrez thanked the Ecuadorean people for their support and vowed to win elections in October.

"I thank God for letting justice be carried out in my country," he said.

"We will immediately begin our campaign to return hopes and dreams to the Ecuadorean people," he told the Associated Press news agency.

However, Mr Gutierrez needs the permission of electoral officials to run and he is trailing in the polls.

Pichincha province District Attorney Washington Pesantez said his office would appeal the ruling, saying there were "other elements that must be taken into account".

Mr Palacio, formerly the vice-president, took over when Mr Gutierrez was removed from office by Congress last April amid massive street protests.

In recent years Ecuador has been blighted by social unrest, with Mr Palacio its seventh president in less than a decade.