Brazil has granted asylum to Ecuador's ousted president Lucio Gutierrez.
Mr Gutierrez, the third president of the Andean nation toppled amid popular unrest in eight years, is still in Brazil's embassy residence in Quito, where he fled on Wednesday after angry crowds stopped him from leaving the country.
A state prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Gutierrez over the deaths of two people killed during the protests by his opponents, who accused him of abusing his power and stacking the Supreme Court with allies.
A Brazilian foreign ministry spokesman said Brazil was negotiating to get Mr Gutierrez out of the country.
President Alfredo Palacio, who was vice president before Mr Gutierrez was fired by Congress, named seven new ministers including defence and foreign affairs posts to try to restore order to the Ecuador.
Washington said early elections could be one possibility to help end the crisis. The Organization of American States postponed till today a special meeting to discuss Ecuador and whether the Congress had a right to oust the president.
US officials were cautious when asked about recognising the new government, but they said they were working with Quito authorities to help ensure a constitutional solution.
Ecuador is South America's fifth-largest oil producer and the region's second-largest exporter of crude to the United States behind Venezuela. State oil firm Petroecuador said production and shipments were unaffected by the turmoil.