Attorney General Diana Salazar will remain on the job; Ecuador and the U.S. talk trade and tariffs; Cuenca flood cleanup continues; Flooding moves vote stations

Diana Salazar has agreed to continue in her role as attorney general until a successor is chosen. Her decision follows the failure of the Council of Social Participation and Citizen Control (CPCCS) to complete the selection process for her replacement. Salazar’s six-year term ended Tuesday.

Deputy Attorney General Wilson Toainga also agreed to continue his duties until a replacement is named.

Damage from last week’s flooding rains has disrupted commutes and travel in Cuenca and nearby communities.

Selection of a new attorney general stalled in January when the Contentious Electoral Tribunal (TCE) dismissed three members of CPCCS for alleged criminal association. Although two of the vacated positions have been filled, the seventh remains in dispute, effectively stalemating the selection process.

CPCCS president Andrés Fantoni says the impasse may not be resolved until the new National Assembly takes its seats in May and picks the board’s seventh member.

Ecuador and the U.S. talk trade and tariffs
Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld met Tuesday in Washington, D.C., with U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer to discuss tariffs and expanded trade between Ecuador and the U.S. “The objective of the discussions is to improve the trade relationship between the two countries and to lower barriers, such as trade tariffs,” Sommerfeld said in a statement after the first meeting.

Ecuador is among more than 100 countries whose exports to the U.S. are paying an additional 10% tariff as of April 5. The new tariffs were announced last week by U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, President Daniel Noboa said Ecuador is willing to reduce or eliminate some tariffs on U.S. imports, including those for cars and trucks.

Cuenca flood cleanup continues
City crews continue to clean up and repair damage in six neighborhoods following recent floods and landslides. Heavy equipment is onsite near Av. del Tejar, clearing debris from a ravine that caused extensive flooding and undermined a bridge Saturday.

According to Public Works Director Jorge Idrovo, household garbage and discarded appliances are mixed with mud, rocks and fallen trees in the ravine. “People have been throwing garbage and other items into the area for years and the accumulation is making the cleaning process difficult,” he said.

In addition to bridge damage, the flooding ruptured pipes and severed electrical and internet cables, Idrovo said. He added that the cleanup and repairs in del Tejar will take 10 days to two weeks.

City crews are also performing clean-up work in the San Sebastián, El Valle, El Cebollar, San Joaquin, Tarqui and Sayausí areas.

Flooding moves voting stations
The National Electoral Council (CNE) has relocated 10 voting precincts ahead of the April 13 election due to recent flooding. The precincts are located in Cotopaxi, Los Ríos, Santa Elena, Zamora Chinchipe, Manabí and Loja Provinces.

According to the CNE, four of the original precincts are in public buildings damaged by flooding while six others are in schools being used as shelters for families whose homes suffered flood damage.

CNE asks voters in affected areas to consult the council’s website for new locations.