Experts agree Noboa violated the constitution with VP, campaign decisions; Man recognized for river rescue; Archaeology exhibit opens at Pumapungo

Domingo,12/1/2025

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Muestra en el MMAM (Exhibit at the MMAM) – The Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno (MMAM) in collaboration with the U. of Cuenca opened the exhibit, “Heterotopia 3,” in which 31 young Cuencan artists are showing their work in different formats and techniques.

President Daniel Noboa resumed his presidential duties Sunday following a weekend of campaigning. He rescinded the controversial decree 500 which allowed him to turn over presidential duties to Cynthia Gellibert. (El Mercurio)

Sala de Arqueología (Archeology Hall) – The Museo Pumapungo will open the Sala Permanente de Arqueología, “Kañaris: Identidad y Persistencia” (Permanent Archaeology Hall, “Kañaris: Identity and Persistence”) on el 16/1 a las 19:00. This exhibit will offer a walk through the history, culture and territories of one of the most important civilizations of the south of Ecuador. It will pay tribute to the Kañari people, highlighting their legacy and recognizing the historiographic vacuum and the debt owed with the social memory of this people. The exhibit contributes to putting value on their history. <A start at restoring their place in history to those who were written out of history by the winners.>

Titular –

Pases del Niño unen tradición y devoción (Pases del Niño unite tradition and devotion) – Ayer (sábado) was the scene of the Pase del Niño de la Tía Lulú (Lulú Torres de Aguilar) who started the tradition 60 years ago as a walk with her family from their house to church and back. This has grown and the parade centers on the Parque San Sebastián and ends with a mass at the iglesia de San Sebastián.

On the same day, the Pase del Divino Niño Migrante which is a much larger parade, gathers the migrant community, their descendants, and Cuencanos. It started as a gesture of gratitude by Rosamaría Pulla Célleri, manager of ‘La Voz del Río Tarqui’ radio station. The parade starts from the radio station at Manuel Vega y Pres. Córdova and goes along calle Bolívar to the New Cathedral. Both celebrations share a common purpose: to strengthen family and community ties through faith in the Baby Jesus. <Would this be the parade for those of us who consider ourselves as immigrants to Ecuador, rather than as ex-pats just passing through.>

Sucesos –

De El Mercurio del sábado, 11/1 (1 article):
Damián Duchi quien salvó 2 vidas es “hormiguita chua” (Damián Duchi who saved 2 lives is “hormiguita chua” <the little ant mascot on signs in parks>) – <If you’re tired of news that’s always depressing, here’s your feel good story for the day/week/month/year? I think depressing news is going to be like the drought – a long time until a refreshing rain.>

On el 2/1, a 19-year-old park maintenance worker jumped into the río Yanuncay without a 2nd thought to save two minors — a 15-year-old teen, and a 10-year-old girl. He was with his family at a linear park in Misicata when his mother saw two kids in the river. At first she didn’t think they needed help but then they slipped and started to turn over in the water, unable to stop. Damián launched himself into the water despite not being able to swim. He said, thanks to an act of God, he found a branch which he used like a cane to walk in the fast-flowing river. He got to the younger children <at 19, to me, he’s still a child> and saw the teen had his foot trapped in a rock. He freed the boy and was able to keep him in the middle of the river until the fire department arrived. He thought his grandmother, who had passed away the year before, was protecting him.

He received a recognition from the city from the hand of Mayor Zamora. He has been working for a business contracting to EMAC for park maintenance for 2 years. He was raised by his grandmother but at 16, he had to drop out of high school to work as a helper in construction, then in greenhouses, and then in park maintenance. He said that his friends call him el “Loco Marcelo.” <Makes you wonder what you would do in that situation. Jump into the water? At the least, I hope people would call 911 before they started videoing the drama.>

Nacional –

Ministerio debe disculparse con Verónica Abad (Ministry must apologize to Veronica Abad) – Judge Nubia Vera, who issued a verbal sentence el 23/12 in favor of the action of protection filed by Verónica Abad has published her written decision. The decision ratified Abad´s reinstatement to the Vice-Presidency; that she be offered a public apology on national television and on the Ministerio de Trabajo website; and with the placement of a plaque within 72 hours. The apology on the Ministerio de Trabajo website is to stay up for 150 days, the same number of days that Abad was suspended. <Note – an action of protection is a constitutional mechanism used to protect peoples’ constitutional and human rights. One can be filed when a person’s rights are violated by public authorities or private entities.>

The Ministry of Trabajo will appeal the decision. Meanwhile, Esteban Calderón, judge in the Unidad Judicial de Violencia contra la Mujer y la Familia (Judicial Unit for Violence against Women and the Family) in Quito, revoked the protective measures and the boleta de auxilio <which sounds something like a restraining order> that the Junta Metropolitana de los Derechos de las Mujeres (Metropolitan Board for Women’s Rights) of the City of Quito granted to Abad.

Abad filed a complaint against Noboa for gender violence and the Junta ruled in favor of Abad, granting her the boleta de auxilio which prohibited the President or those close to him of taking intimidating, threatening or coercive actions against Abad. Abad rejected Judge Calderón’s decision to revoke the protective measures. <What a mess. Would cluster**** be the right word to describe it? But then we had president who encouraged his followers to lynch his vice-president – right there on the Capitol grounds.>

Rige nuevo precio de las gasolinas (New gasoline prices in effect) – As of today, as on every 12th of the month, new prices for extra and ecopaís go into effect. According to Oswaldo Erazo, executive secretary of the Cámara Nacional de Distribuidores de Derivados del Petróleo (Camddepe), the new price is 7 cents higher going from $2.64 to $2.71. This price will be in effect through el 11/2. The price of super dropped 3 cents.

De El Mercurio del sábado, 11/1 (1 article):
Expertos ven “errores” en últimos decretos de Noboa (Experts see “errors” in Noboa’s last decrees) – Since the start of his term, Danial Noboa has distanced himself from his Vice-President, Verónica Abad, and seeking to remove her from power, he sent her to Israel. However, as the date approached when she would need to assume the presidency in order for Noboa to run, his actions to avoid this intensified. According to jurists, some of these actions are outside of the law and would involve sanctions against the President.

Constitutionalist José Chalco considers that to achieve his objective: to campaign without transferring the presidency to Abad, Noboa has committed various acts against the constitution including not respecting the presidential succession, simulating a license <the unpaid leave of absence> to campaign, and commissioning a new vice-president while there is still a sitting vice-president. There are currently 3 processes in the Corte Constitucional in rejection of Noboas’s actions. The first was when he summarily suspended Abad for 150 days; the second deals with the alleged non-compliance with article 93 of the Código de la Democracia which obligates office holders to get a license to conduct their campaigns; and the 3d is about decrees 494 & 500 with which he commissioned the Vice-Presidency and Presidency. Added to these constitutional processes is the precautionary measure with action for protection filed by Abad’s lawyers which was transferred to the criminal court of Quito which seeks to reverse the naming of Cynthia Gellibert as president. According to Chalco, only the action for protection could be resolved before the election on el 6/2. <Another president avoids justice.>

For jurist Paúl Córdova, Noboa’s actions could imply the commission of crimes, above all that of peculado (embezzlement or graft – your word for the day) where he would have to face not only ordinary justice, but the Asamblea Nacional since that crime is a cause for impeachment. Encouraging voting, while in office without requesting the licencia could incur the irregular use of public resources – embezzlement. That would have happened with the 9/1 rally event in Carondelet. That should be under investigation by the Comptroller, Attorney General, and the National Electoral Council, but there is a suspicious delay in the authorities that direct these institutions. Córdova said that sanctions could apply not only to Noboa but to others involved such as Cynthia Gellibert who, in assuming the presidency, is committing the crime of usurpation of functions. <Maybe that’s why the VP for 2 days before Gellibert bailed out. She didn’t want to be anywhere nearby when the poop hit the fan.>

For Medardo Oleas, expresident of the Tribunal Supremo Electoral, Noboa has also incurred various electoral infractions, mainly not asking for license during the whole campaign, for encouraging the vote <for himself?> while exercising the office of President, and for possible use of public assets to advertise. These infractions imply sanctions from fines, suspension of political rights, cancellation of his candidacy, and up to impeachment.

For the latest developments in the cases against Noboa, click here.

Descuentos y compras –

El nuevo restaurante Cook’s at the Four Points by Sheraton – a celebration of its new chef, Fabricio Medina who won 3d place in the Spondylus category in the Premios Taste Ecuador.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.