President Ecuador Daniel Noboa assumed the presidency this Thursday, succeeding Guillermo Lasso. Four ministries still require appointments, with two critical portfolio areas for governance being Internal Affairs and Economy and Finance.
Upon taking office at a ceremony in the National Assembly, Noboa announced the formation of sixteen ministers and announced new leadership in several key ministries: Internal Affairs, Economy and Finance, Women and Human Rights, and Telecommunications and Information Society.
The first two ministries, Internal Affairs and Economy, are expected to confront the country’s most urgent challenges. Ecuador is grappling with a surge of criminal violence tied to drug trafficking and organized crime, alongside an economic crisis described as alarming due to a widening budget deficit. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was temporarily placed under the management of Government Minister Mónica Palencia, while Economy saw the appointment of young economist Sariha Moya as Secretary General of Strategic Planning.
On the eve of his inauguration, Noboa expressed a desire to have a full cabinet by Sunday that would reflect gender parity, with eight women and eight men, and highlighted the involvement of younger members in the team as a sign of renewal during the 35th anniversary of his presidency.
Youth as strength
Noboa, the son of Álvaro Noboa, a banana industry magnate and five-time presidential candidate, becomes Ecuador’s youngest sitting president in its democratic history and the youngest leader in Latin America. He framed his cabinet as a showcase of energy and resilience, saying, “Youth is strength, the power to overcome the challenges before us, because that is what Ecuador needs.” His short inaugural address emphasized reconciliation and action, with a ten-minute message inviting national unity. He added that he is a man of few words, but a man of decisive action, and that opportunity is a shared goal for all Ecuadorians.
Noboa urged citizens to abandon past political plans, push the country forward, and confront unemployment and rising violence head-on.
The president noted past political pressure on his family but called for an end to cycles of vengeance. He described his project as pro-Ecuador and not against anything, arguing that there is a ceiling for those who oppose and infinite potential for those who support.
Urgent reforms
Early measures outlined by Noboa include declaring a state of emergency to urgently review tax and electricity reform in Parliament. The administration aims to address employment and energy challenges inherited from the previous government, including daily outages caused by hydroelectric production shortfalls.
At the ceremony, Noboa was accompanied by his wife, Lavinia Valbonesi, a model and public figure, and their two children. His mother and other relatives were present as well, reflecting a family engagement in the national transition. Noboa previously served in Parliament and as a public official, bringing legislative experience to the presidency.
The only head of state present at the ceremony was Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia. A bilateral meeting followed to discuss requests to activate border controls along the Pacific road axis linking the two nations. The leaders also addressed the evolving dynamics of drug trafficking and organized crime and talked about cooperation among Amazonian countries on deforestation and climate policy as part of broader discussions at COP28.
Tension with the vice president
Noboa’s first day also highlighted a growing distance with his vice president, Verónica Abad, who did not attend the official lunch at the presidential palace and instead joined local market vendors in Quito for a separate engagement.
With a limited window to govern before potential elections, Noboa faces a term that could be shortened to about a year and a half if constitutional provisions or political dynamics necessitate new elections, following a recent institutional crisis that affected parliamentary proceedings during the previous presidency.