Vice president of elections council reminds Noboa he has to resign to run for reelection

The vice president of the National Electoral Council Enrique Pita said Monday that President Daniel Noboa must resign to run for reelection. “The president or any other elected official must temporarily resign if they register to run again for office,” Pita said in an interview with Teleamazonas. “This is the law and it is the obligation of the CNE to enforce it.”

National Electoral Council Vice President Enrique Pita

Because of his ongoing conflict with Vice President Verónica Abad, Noboa and his advisors have said they are pursuing legal options that would allow him to remain in office during the five-week campaign leading to the February 9 election.

Under the law, however, he would be replaced by Abad while he campaigns.

Asked if the president can request hourly leave on each day of the campaign – one of the options Noboa is said to be pursing — Pita said such an arrangement would have to be approved by the Contentious Electoral Tribunal. “Unless there is a ruling by the TCE to the contrary, we expect the president to conform to the law like all other candidates,” he said.

Pita gave the same answer when questioned about Noboa’s claim that, due to the special cross death election, he is simply completing former president Guillermo Lasso’s presidential term, and that the coming campaign will be his first for a full term. “Again, this is a legal question that the TCE or the courts will have to answer,” Pita said.

He added: “It is the job of the elections council to make sure the law and the rules and regulations that accompany it are followed. If we are instructed otherwise by the TCE or other legal authorities, we will follow those instructions.”

Noboa has had a rocky relationship with Abad since the cross death election in 2023 and appointed her ambassador to Israel shortly after he took office. Although she has remained in Tel Aviv, Abad has filed a complaint of political gender violence against Noboa with the TCE, claiming the assignment was an act of revenge and harassment intended to force her to resign. The case was suspended last week and may not be resolved until after the election.

In a recent interview, Abad says there will be no “bombshells” if she assumes the presidency while Noboa campaigns. “Despite all the bad feelings, I will carry out my duties and dignity and honor and there will be no disruptions in the governance of the country. I won’t grant amnesties or pardons. I would be serving for only for a few weeks and I don’t understand why this is such a big deal.”