Noboa could ignore campaign rule to leave office; It’s the last week of blackouts, government insists; AG Salazar recognized in ‘top 100’ by Time magazine

President Daniel Noboa may defy a constitutional rule requiring incumbent elected officials to take a leave of absence during reelection campaigns. According to Government Minister José de la Gasca, the rule does not apply to Noboa since he will be running for his first full term in office. “Based on the cross death imposed by [former president Guillermo] Lasso, he is simply completing Lasso’s term,” says de la Gasca. “The requirement will apply to him if he decides to pursue a second term after he completes his first.”

Ecuador Attorney General Diana Salazar has been named by Time magazine one of the “100 Most Influential People of 2024.”

De la Gasca says it may not matter if the courts rule in favor of Vice President Veronica Abad, overturning her 150-day suspension imposed by the Labor Ministry. If she prevails, Abad’s attorneys say they fully expect her to assume the presidency during the campaign.

Constitutionalists disagree with de la Gasca’s interpretation but say there is some ambiguity in Noboa situation as a result of the cross death. “It is true there is a possible loophole based on a 2010 Constitutional Court ruling that the cross death period does not constitute an electoral term of office, says Quito law professor Xavier Palacios. “On the other hand, I believe the rule to step aside for the campaign still applies based on the constitutional language that all those seeking reelection take unpaid leave during the campaign.”

Palacios says a 2020 reform to the Code of Democracy was intended to clarify the confusion.

Constitutional lawyer André Benavides agrees that Noboa must step aside to campaign, saying only a “very loose interpretation” of the circumstances would allow him to remain in office. “I don’t think the cross death and shortness of his term in office exempt him from the rule but I do not deny this is an unusual case that is not addressed directly in the constitution.”

Palacios and Benavides say the constitutional language does not carry a penalty if an incumbent refuses to leave office to campaign. “There’s only impeachment in the Assembly but this is unlikely to happen during a campaign and, even it did, there are not the votes for suspension.”

It’s the last week of blackouts, government insists
This week’s two-hour power blackouts are the “beginning of the end of Ecuador’s electricity crisis,” the Energy Ministry said Sunday. Blackouts for most electric customers end Friday, December 20, the ministry announced last week.

The country’s largest industries and two large mining projects will continue to experience blackouts for a period of 15 to 20 days, although the ministry said this could change if recent rains continue to refill hydroelectric reservoirs.

Although most energy experts insist it’s too early to end blackouts, they acknowledge that increased rainfall is having an impact. “There is no logical reason to end the blackouts since the country’s energy situation remains precarious,” says Fernando Salinas, university professor and former president of the Pichincha College of Electrical Engineers. “Much of the new power generation the government has promised as yet to go online and the power transfers from Colombia depend entirely on the weather.”

On the other hand, Salinas said heavy rainfall in recent weeks could allow the suspension of blackouts to be maintained until the rainy season begins in early 2025. “I don’t discount the possibility that the government will be saved by the rain,” noting the fact that the water level at the Mazar reservoir has risen eight meters in the past three weeks.

AG Salazar recognized by Time magazine
Ecuador Attorney General Diana Salazar has been listed among Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” for her efforts to combat organized crime. According to the magazine, the 42-year-old attorney general has made an impact “both nationally and internationally” in confronting international drug cartels, Time said.

“The first Afro-Ecuadorian woman to hold the position of Attorney General in Ecuador, Salazar has established herself as a symbol of justice and integrity,” Time wrote. “During her tenure, she has led court cases that have resulted in emblematic convictions not only of organized crime figures, but government officials who have committed acts of corruption. Among those she has successfully prosecuted are a former president and the head of Ecuador’s soccer league.”