With 112 votes in favor, the legislature blamed Arrobo for the energy crisis the country is experiencing.

The day before, the Parliament’s Speaker, Viviana Veloz, reiterated her offer to guarantee the former official’s security, but the latter chose not to attend the plenary session on Friday, for the same reasons that she did not appear last week.

In an email read at the Assembly, Arrobo stated that she would not appear today because that could mean putting her life and her family’s at risk, “even worse, amid a political context where my presence would serve the electoral interests of various political forces.”

According to Veloz and assembly members from several parties, even if President Daniel Noboa is also accountable for not having foreseen the energy crisis, this does not exempt Arrobo from sharing responsibilities.

The motion of censure was presented by lawmaker Jaime Moreno, from the Construye Movement, who maintained that the former minister did not fulfill her duties and did not take timely actions to avoid the crisis still gripping Ecuador.

On Friday, former President Rafael Correa released on his X account screenshots of chats between Arrobo and Noboa, with her warning the president the energy situation, but he did nothing, for fears of losing the popular vote on April 21.

“Noboa is the main culprit of the energy crisis. Unfortunately, if the minister does not attend the Assembly, it will be impossible to stand by her,” declared Correa.

Arrobo, who was dismissed in April, after five months in the post, was accused by the Government before the Attorney General of alleged sabotage in the midst of a declaration of an electrical emergency.

In the wake of the censure vote, the former minister will be banned from holding public office for at least two years.

In letter released on December 3 she assured that the “worst mistake” of her life was making the decision to serve her country as a public servant.

Ecuador is going through an energy crisis that the Executive attributes to the worst drought in the last 60 years, and has led to blackouts of up to 14 hours a day.

Experts point out that the origin of the energy emergency is in the lack of investment and foresight of the authorities, who did not adopt measures in response to the reports that predicted the drought.

ied/lam/avr