Paola Pabón Caranqui recently made official her pre-candidacy for the presidency of Ecuador for the Citizen Revolution Movement (RC), with a view to the elections scheduled for next year. She did so because she is convinced that this revolution must be a female one.
Santiago Masetti
The prefect of Pichincha was forceful in these times in which the women’s movement in all its diversity has become something like the historical subject of the economic, social and political transformations for which millions of people in America, the Caribbean and the whole world are calling for.
In this sense, Paola Pabón Caranqui explains that “For those mothers who every day try and make end meet, for those grandmothers who have stayed to take care of their grandchildren, that is why this revolution is and will continue to be feminist”.
Paola is a prominent Ecuadorian political figure, recognised for her active militancy in the Citizen Revolution Movement (RC). From the beginning, she has maintained a firm commitment to progressivism and the defence of social rights, which has allowed her to hold various public positions: Assembly member and Secretary of State during the government of Rafael Correa (2007-2017), among others.
In October 2019, in the context of protests against the neoliberal measures of Lenín Moreno’s government, Pabón was arrested and released 71 days later, thanks to an amnesty granted by the National Assembly.
In her role as prefect of Pichincha, Pabón became the first woman to be re-elected to that position, standing out for her leadership and management skills.
Her re-election reflects the confidence that the citizens of Ecuador’s most important province have in her ability to generate public policies with a social and gender focus.
In June 2023, Pabón was elected president of the Consortium of Provincial Governments of Ecuador, a position she will hold until June 2025. This appointment, endorsed by the country’s other governors, underlines her influence and leadership at national level. It also extends to the regional level, where she has the support of progressive sectors throughout Latin America.
At the international level, Pabón is the World Vice-President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and a member of the Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments, appointed by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres.
These roles have allowed her to actively participate in global policy-making and advocacy for local and regional governments.
Her pre-candidacy for the presidency of Ecuador carries the promise to lead a state that governs for the benefit of all Ecuadorians, in response to the demands of a nation for serious policies to get out of the suffocating situation in which it finds itself.
Within RC, the other pre-candidates appearing on the scene are Luisa González, who was a candidate in the last election against Daniel Noboa (winner), and journalist Carlos Rabascall, who, according to analysts, is not liked by former President Rafael Correa. According to the Ecuadorian electoral calendar, after the internal elections to be held on 10 August, the general elections will be held on 9 February next year. PL
(Translated by Cristina Popa – Email: gcpopa83@gmail.com) – Photos: Pixabay
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