María Paula Romo

María Paula Romo
Romo in 2018
Minister of Government
In office
31 August 2018 – 24 November 2020
PresidentLenín Moreno
Preceded byMauro Toascanini
Succeeded byPatricio Pazmiño Castillo
Member of the National Assembly
In office
2009–2013
Member of the Constituent Assembly
In office
2007–2008
Personal details
Born (1979-06-04) June 4, 1979 (age 45)
Quito, Ecuador
Alma materUniversidad San Francisco de Quito

María Paula Romo (born 4 June 1979)[1] is an Ecuadorian politician that served as Minister of Government under President Lenin Moreno.[2]

She was a member of the Constituent Assembly that crafted Ecuador's current Constitution between 2007 and 2008. She later won a seat at the National Assembly of Ecuador for the period 2009–2013.

Life

She entered politics in 2004 as one of the founders of "Ruptura de los 25", a political leftist movement that participated in the protests that toppled then-president Lucio Gutiérrez.[3] Two years later, Ruptura de los 25 supported Rafael Correa in his successful bid to become Ecuador's President in the Ecuadorian 2006 general election.[4]

The group broke their alliance with Correa in 2010 after he took actions they perceived as authoritarian. Romo participated along Ruptura de los 25 in the 2013 general election in opposition to Correa, but she did not keep her seat.[5]

President Moreno chose Romo as Ecuador's Interior Minister on 31 August 2018.[6]

National Assembly members Lourdes Cuesta, Amapola Naranjo and Roberto Gómez, challenged Romo saying that she had failed to fulfil her ministerial duties during the national strike in October 2019.[7] On November 24, the National Assembly, with 104 positive votes, approved the motion to censure and dismiss her for allowing harsh police intervention against protesters during that strike. She was also accused of allowing police to use expired tear gas canisters that endangered people's lives during the 11 days of anti-government protests in Quito. The protests were over the removal by President Lenin Moreno’s administration of fuel subsidies on October 16, 2019 and other economic policies in a bid to obtain a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).[8]

References

  1. ^ Romo's personal website. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  2. ^ "María Paula Romo, tercera ministra del Interior del régimen de Lenín Moreno". El Universo (in Spanish). 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Cronología: Ruptura de los 25". El Comercio (in Spanish). 3 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Ruptura de los 25 y su alianza con el Gobierno". El Comercio (in Spanish). 3 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  5. ^ "¿Qué harán 10 candidatos que perdieron?". Hoy (in Spanish). 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  6. ^ "María Paula Romo, la nueva titular del ministerio del Interior". Expreso (in Spanish). 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Juicio político contra María Paula Romo se resolverá dentro de un mes". Primicias (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  8. ^ Dogan, Sinan. "Ecuador's interior minister dismissed". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 25 November 2020.