Interior Minister Monica Palencia speaks during the impeachment session at the plenary session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 in Quito. – Ecuador’s opposition majority parliament on Wednesday began an impeachment trial against the interior minister for alleged failures. To address the growing security crisis caused by drug violence. (Photo courtesy of Rodrigo Buendia/France Presse)
QUITO, ECUADOR – Ecuador’s Interior Minister Monica Palencia survived an impeachment vote on Wednesday after she was criticized in the opposition-controlled Congress for failing to control escalating drug-related violence.
Palencia is the most visible site of the government’s fight against the crime wave rocking the once peaceful South American nation.
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Despite having a majority in parliament, the opposition failed to secure 92 of the 137 votes needed to remove Palencia from office.
The motion received 77 votes in favor and 40 votes against, with 16 abstentions.
Palencia pointed to recent high-profile arrests and defended himself in Congress against accusations from two lawmakers close to former Socialist Party President Rafael Correa.
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Read: 7 killed in third massacre in a week in Ecuador
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Ecuador, once seen as a beacon of stability in South America, has in recent years become one of the world’s most violent countries and a major drug-trafficking center.
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A double bomb attack destroyed several homes in the southwestern city of Machala late Tuesday, local authorities said, in what local authorities blamed on a fight between rival criminal groups.
According to police, one person was injured.
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Read: How Ecuador became one of the most violent countries in Latin America
Ecuador has seen a record increase in murders from 6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 47 murders per 100,000 people in 2023.
President Daniel Novoa’s government said the number of murders had fallen this year due to a crackdown on gangs believed to be linked to international criminal organizations such as Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
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Mr. Noboa defended Mr. Palencia, saying he canceled a trip to Brazil to comply with impeachment proceedings and would “accompany him throughout the journey.”
