Ecuador's Vice President suspected of carrying out a coup

Ms. Abad asked the court to ban the President of Ecuador and several other senior officials from holding public office for the next four years. (Source: WesternSlopeNow.com)

Relations between Mr. Noboa and Ms. Abad have been strained since Mr. Noboa took office in November 2023. President Noboa sent Ms. Abad to Tel Aviv last year to support peace efforts between Israel and Hamas.

In a court filing, Vice President Abad accused Mr Noboa of deliberately limiting her role in national decision-making and seeking to remove her from politics.

“I was essentially exiled to a country at war and deprived of my security,” Ms. Abad wrote.

Vice President Ecuador has asked the court to remove President Noboa and several other senior officials from office and ban them from holding public office for the next four years.

In response, the Ecuadorian government issued a statement, calling Ms. Abad's actions "a clumsy attempt to destabilize with the aim of a coup."

President Noboa, who is serving a shortened 17-month term, has announced that he will run for re-election in February 2025. Since taking office, he has focused on improving security and fighting crime in Ecuador.