MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gellibert appointed again as Ecuador's VP in charge

Gellibert appointed again as Ecuador's VP in charge

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa appointed Cynthia Gellibert as Vice President on Saturday, replacing Veronica Abad, who was disenfranchised for two years by the Electoral Contentious Tribunal (TCE) in a 3-2 decision issued in a gender-based political violence counterclaim filed by Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld following Abad’s initial lawsuit against Noboa and others for alleged harassment.

Initially, Abad had sued Noboa and several members of the Government, among them Sommerfeld, for gender-based political violence, after having accused the President of leading an alleged harassment against her to have her resign and thus avoid delegating the Presidency to her during the electoral campaign.

Noboa, citing Article 150 of the Constitution, named Gellibert to serve during Abad’s “temporary absence,” a move Abad denounced as a “judicial coup,” arguing only the National Assembly can remove her.

Gellibert, previously General Secretary of the Presidency, had acted as interim vice president during Noboa’s campaign for the Feb. 9 first round elections.

Saturday's appointment, decreed while Noboa was in the US meeting Donald Trump, occurs amid his re-election campaign against Luisa González for the 2025-2029 term.

This crisis mars Noboa’s campaign, as Ecuadorean law requires him to hand over his powers to the vice president during campaigning, which he previously did Gellibert despite Constitutional Court objections.

Abad insists she remains in office and denounced a judicial coup d'état, stressing that, according to the Constitution, her removal can only happen after an impeachment trial before the National Assembly. which two of the TCE judges endorsed in their dissenting votes.

The Electoral body also imposed a US$ 14,000 fine on Abad without the possibility of appeal after completing all procedural phases. Noboa had declared that Abad was “a traitor who is already dismissed”.

Ecuador's Constitutional Court declared the previous delegation of functions to Gellibert unconstitutional, although the Executive interpreted that it could continue to do so without issuing decrees to that effect.

The law also states that whoever seeks reelection must request an unpaid leave of absence. However, Noboa maintains that, having won the extraordinary elections of 2023 to complete the mandate of Guillermo Lasso (2021-2025), his new postulation does not imply a reelection and that he cannot depend on the National Assembly, controlled by Correism, to obtain permission to campaign.