Ecuador temporarily suspends Vice-President from office ahead of 2025 elections
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Ms Veronica Abad, who is also the South American country’s ambassador to Israel, is accused of failing to comply with an order from the foreign ministry to leave Israel before Sept 1 due to security concerns.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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QUITO – Ecuador’s Labour Ministry has temporarily suspended Vice-President Veronica Abad from office just three months before 2025’s elections in which President Daniel Noboa will seek another term.
Ms Abad, who is also the South American country’s Ambassador to Israel, is accused of committing a “serious” disciplinary offence by failing to comply with an order from the Foreign Ministry to leave Israel and travel to Turkey before Sept 1 due to security concerns during the conflict in Gaza, according to the resolution dated Nov 8 but made public on Nov 9.
Ms Abad could not immediately be reached for comment. Her legal representative, Mr Damian Armijos, said the decision had been appealed by the defence without a favourable result.
“This behaviour will go down in history as an abuse of power above the Constitution, the law and rights,” he said on social media platform X.
The Labour Ministry said Ms Abad, who has a tense relationship with Mr Noboa, would be removed from office until April 2025, without pay.
Electoral campaigns in Ecuador are scheduled to begin in January and, according to local laws, Mr Noboa would have to leave the vice-president in her post in order to participate. REUTERS
