The vice president of Ecuador asks the National Assembly to reject the Government’s decision to suspend her from office

( Spanish) –– The vice president of Ecuador, Verónica Abad, asked this Wednesday the National Assembly of her country to speak out against the resolution of the Ministry of Labor that suspended her from office for 150 days on the grounds that she was unjustifiably absent from her duties.

During a virtual appearance before the plenary session of the Assembly, Abad said that the sanction of Minister Ivonne Núñez occurred without support or evidence and that it was a decision to favor the political interests of President Daniel Noboa.

“We have to act. “My call to the National Assembly is to condemn and reject what the Minister of Labor has done as a subordinate,” he said.

Noboa and Abad have been practically in confrontation since this administration began on November 23. A day later, Noboa appointed Abad ambassador to Israel, arguing that he sought to show Ecuador’s commitment “to international peace” and to “the stability of a region affected by prolonged conflicts.”

Abad accepted the assignment, but spoke out against the appointment, and was recently transferred to Türkiye due to the war between Israel and Hamas. According to the Ministry of Labor, Abad showed up at that embassy after the scheduled date and thus accumulated five days of unjustified absence.

Meanwhile, Noboa has accused Abad of wanting him out of office through legal resources. He said this in August, after Abad denounced him before the Contentious Electoral Court (TCE) for alleged political violence.

During his message to the Assembly this Wednesday, Abad also said that Noboa carries out “attack after abuse” and affects the institutions of Ecuador.

“It is not enough with everything that the President of the Republic has caused, this wound to our Constitution, this wound to our democratic State, but now he continues to want people to believe that I have failed in my honesty to the Ecuadorians and that I have betrayed the country, when in reality the only person who has betrayed the Ecuadorians is him, due to the lack of promise, due to the lack of responsibility with the country,” he stated.

On several occasions, Abad has said that Noboa wants to prevent her from assuming the Presidency once he leaves office to campaign for reelection in the 2025 elections.

contacted the Presidency of Ecuador to request comments on the statements that Abad gave this Wednesday and is awaiting a response.

Since the sanction of the Ministry of Labor was announced on Saturday, the legality of the measure has been questioned by jurists and rejected by political actors, including presidential candidates and former president Guillermo Lasso.

On Monday, Noboa designated Sariha Moya as acting vice president after Abad’s suspension.