Noboa takes another leave of absence to prepare for debate and make campaign appearances

President Daniel Noboa is handing over presidential powers to Cynthia Gellibert for the second time in two weeks as he prepares for Sunday’s presidential debate. In an executive decree, he announced he will take leave from official duties from Thursday at 6 p.m. until Sunday at 10 p.m.

President Daniel Noboa

In addition to preparing for and participating in the debate, Noboa said he will engage in campaign activities during his unpaid leave. In decree 505, Noboa says he is transferring his duties in accordance with the constitutional rule that an elected official seeking reelection must take unpaid leave to engage in campaign activities.

Noboa takes leave at a time when the Constitutional Court is considering a challenge against executive decree 500, in which he handed duties over to Gellibert on January 9 to campaign. The court has not said when it will rule on the case.

As he did in decree 550, Noboa invokes the provisions of Article 150 of the Constitution, which allows the temporary absence of the president for reasons of force majeure.

In addition to the suit against decree 500, the president faces four complaints from Vice President Verónica Abad, who claims she should be the recipient of temporary presidential duties since she is the elected vice president. Abad’s cases are under consideration from the Contentious Electoral Tribunal.

In defense of the decrees and Abad’s challenges, Noboa’s attorneys argue that that the electoral law “is ambiguous,” and since he was elected in the special 2023 cross death election, he is filling the last 18 months of former president Guillermo Lasso’s term. The attorneys cite a 2010 ruling by the Constitutional Court. They insist, however, that despite the legal ambiguity, Noboa has decided to take leave to campaign through his executive decrees.