Noboa will turn over presidential duties to new VP while he campaigns; Hydro generation returns to normal; Noboa gains in poll; Storm floods Cuenca
Cynthia Gellibert, appointed vice president last week by President Daniel Noboa, will assume presidential duties from Thursday through Sunday while Noboa campaigns for reelection. In the presidential decree announcing Gellibert’s temporary
appointment, Noboa said he would not receive pay or use public funds during his campaign days.
The surprise Tuesday morning announcement follows demands from almost all of his presidential opponents that he abide by a constitutional mandate to step down during the campaign. Noboa claims he is not bound by the mandate due to special circumstances of the cross death election and is filling out the term of former president Guillermo Lasso. Noboa’s attorneys base his exemption from the rules on a 2010 Constitutional Court ruling.
Cynthia Gellibert will assume presidential duties when President Daniel Noboa campaigns for reelection.
In addition to Thursday through Sunday, the presidential press office said Noboa would turn over official duties to Gellibert whenever he campaigns ahead of the February 9 election. The statement added that the president wanted to make clear to “the public perception” that he will separate his duties as president from his activities as a candidate for reelection.
Presidential candidates Henry Cucalón (Construye) and Henry Kronfle (Social Christians) reacted angrily to Noboa’s announcement. “This is a trick to confuse the people and complicate legal challenges to his violation of election law,” Kronfle said. “We not only have the question about his bogus interpretation of the constitution, but also his right to name a new vice president.”
Hydroelectric generation returns to normal
The Energy Ministry reported Tuesday that hydroelectric generation has returned to normal operating levels. “The system is again producing 70% of the country’s electricity, a level not seen since August, before power suspensions were ordered in September,” the ministry said. “The recent unseasonably heavy rains have restored the system to full production.”
The ministry also said it expects the Mazar reservoir in Azuay Province to reach maximum capacity in10 days to two weeks. “The reservoir level has risen steadily in recent days and currently stands at 2,137.3 meters above sea level, an increase of 26 meters since early November,” the ministry said. The statement added that the three generations stations at Mazar were kept mostly idle during December, allowing the reservoir to rise at a faster rate.
It added that the Coca Coda Sinclair hydro plant in Napo Province was able to cover Paute-Mazar’s deficit but was shut down over the last weekend for the removal of sediment that had accumulated in the intake pools. Coca Coda turbines were reactivated Monday.
Noboa gains in new poll
President Daniel Noboa ended 2024 with a 53.7% positive management rating, according to a survey releasedn December 31 by Comunicaliza. The rating was a 6.5% improvement from a poll conducted in late November.
Comunicaliza poll analyst Carlos Castro attributed Noboa’s improvement to the end of power blackouts. “Going into December, the electric crisis was the biggest issue for most Ecuadorians,” Castro said. “With that resolved, at least temporarily, crime is now the number one issue followed by employment and medical care.”
He added that the dispute between Noboa and Vice President Veronica Abad has generated relatively little public interest.
Storm floods Cuenca north side
A powerful thunderstorm flooded streets and homes on the north side of Cuenca Tuesday afternoon, dropping up to two inches of hail in some neighborhoods. The storm also sent the Machangara River over its banks in several locations.
Firefighters rescued several motorists from flooded vehicles and assisted in the evacuation of residents of four homes affected by the overflow of the Machangara River.
