Rebeca Viviana Veloz Ramirez is an Ecuadorian politician who became the President of the National Assembly in October 2024. She represents the Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province. She led the prosecution of President Guillermo Lasso in the National Assembly. This led to the President resigning and dissolving parliament which then required new elections. Veloz was re-elected and she was Vice President of the Assembly until she became the Assembly's President.
Viviana Veloz | |
|---|---|
.jpg) National Assembly President in 2024 | |
| Nationality | Ecuadorian |
| Occupation | politician |
| Known for | President of the National Assembly |
| Predecessor | Henry Kronfle |
| Political party | Citizen Revolution |
Life
editVeloz was elected to represent the Province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas[1] with Ruiz Emerson Hinojosa as her substitute.[2] The other assemblymen (sic) from her province are Jose Ricardo Chavez Valencia, Gruber Cesario Zambrano Azua and Amada Maria Ortiz Olaya.[3]
She served on the Permanent Commission on Biodiversity and Natural Resources.[2]
In June 2022, Veloz raised a formal protest against humiliating and insulting remarks made by the head of the Pachakutik caucus, Salvador Quishpe, in the National Assembly. She requested that he be suspended from the assembly for 30 days. Witnesses to the offending words included Jhajaira Urresta.[4]
On 24 June 2022 she was among the members who requested a debate concerning the replacement of President Lasso. 46 other members signed the request including, Victoria Desintonio, Vanessa Álava, Sofía Espín, Jhajaira Urresta, Patricia Mendoza and Rosa Mayorga.[5]
In May 2023 Lasso's lawyer was contesting the case of corruption against President Lasso at the National Assembly. Veloz led the prosecution and gave evidence against Lasso[6] who said that the contract in question was signed years before he became president. Veloz said that embezzlement was spotted in the contract by the public company Flopec and Lasso had taken no action. Veloz recommended that Lasso should be punished and replaced as president. Some observers said that Ecuador's problems were more important than the trial. However Veloz showed videos and copies of letters to the assembly which were intended to prove his guilt.[7]
Lasso as President brought in the constitution clause number 148 known as Mutual death in May 2023 when he knew that he was about to be impeached. This required all of the National Assembly members to stand for re-election.[8]
Veloz was re-elected in August 2023 and when the National Assembly re-convened she became a vice-President of the Assembly. There were 99 votes in favour of her election and 24 against.[6]
In October 2024 she assumed the Presidency of the National Assembly after the incumbent President, Henry Kronfle, stood down to concentrate on the next election of Ecuador's President in 2025.[9]
References
edit- ^ Tabango, Jordan. "PROPUESTAS DE LA CANDIDATA A LA ASAMBLEA VIVIANA VELOZ – Zaracay Tv" (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ a b "Veloz Ramírez Rebeca Viviana". Observatorio Legislativo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Asamblea Archive". Observatorio Legislativo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ Redacción (2022-06-02). "Viviana Veloz presentó una denuncia contra Salvador Quishpe por "insultos"". www.ecuavisa.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ^ Tapia, Ximena (2022-06-24). "Correísmo formalizó pedido para debatir posible destitución del presidente Lasso". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-07-02.
- ^ a b Castellanos, Daniel Salazar (2023-11-17). "¿Quién es Viviana Veloz, primera vicepresidenta de la Legislatura en Ecuador?". Bloomberg Línea (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ Valencia, Alexandra (2023-04-26). "Ecuador opposition, lawyer for president duel at impeachment hearings". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ News, Latin America (2023-05-17). "What is cross-death, and what does it mean for Lasso in Ecuador?". The Rio Times. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Martinez, Juan (2024-10-03). "Left-Wing Movement Gains Control of Ecuador's Legislature Amid Transition". The Rio Times. Retrieved 2024-10-15.