▲ Sariha Moya, newly appointed vice president of Ecuador.Photo taken from social networks
Orlando Perez
Special for La Jornada
La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, November 12, 2024, p. 23
Quito. Sariha Moya was appointed vice president of the Republic of Ecuador, by decree of Daniel Noboa, after the suspension ordered by the Ministry of Labor against Verónica Abad – elected to that position along with the president in October of last year – and who was removed on Saturday of their duties and salary.
In the corresponding decree Moya is designated as vice president in charge and it is explained that he will hold the position during the maximum period of temporary absence of the vice president of the Republic established in the ConstitutionThat is, until April, which is when the 150 days with which Abad was sanctioned are completed.
The economist Sariha Moya, 36 years old, was until yesterday the head of the National Planning Secretariat. In principle, his name was indicated to occupy the Ministry of Economy, because he is considered one of Noboa’s most trusted people.
Unlike the functions that were granted to Abad, the presidential decree entrusts Moya with the coordination of governing entities of the Public Finance system and the National Decentralized Participatory Planning System. In addition, he must lead the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Ecuador.
Abad was appointed ambassador of peace in the Israeli conflict in November of last year, but on November 8, the Ministry of Labor suspended her for unjustified abandonment of work for three or more work days.
At the request of his lawyers, Damián Armijos and Dominique Dávila, tomorrow afternoon a presentation of Abad’s claim and the presentation of audios and videos that support his argument will take place in the National Assembly.
Political crisis
He scandal The political situation surrounding Vice President Abad also occurs in the midst of a controversy over the suspension of the presidential candidacy of businessman Jan Topic, because he supposedly had contracts with the State. Some analysts consider that he was Noboa’s main rival for the February 9, 2025 elections.
In this context, on Thursday the Ibero-American Summit of Presidents will take place in the southern city of Cuenca, where Verónica Abad was born, and protests by various environmentalist, feminist organizations, social movements and political parties are announced.
Topic resigned itself to the cancellation determined by the Contentious Electoral Court on Sunday night and yesterday, at a press conference in Quito, announced that its group had enabled a website so that they could be citizens who propose the names of potential candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. According to the Code of Democracy, the SUMA movement, from Topic, has until next Sunday to present the name of the new candidate for the February elections.
The telecommunications and security businessman was also a candidate last year and placed third, behind Daniel Noboa in the first round and in the second he supported the current president. In recent weeks, polls placed him with 10 percent of citizen preference.