Ecuador’s Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Holguín, resigned from his position this Saturday for “personal reasons” and will be replaced by his Environment counterpart, Gustavo Manrique, as announced by President Guillermo Lasso on Twitter.
The Ecuadorian head of state regretted the resignation and highlighted the work of the official, while informing that Manrique will take possession of the Foreign Ministry next Monday.
Shortly after, the former head of Foreign Affairs shared his resignation letter on the same social network, in which he cited “personal reasons” and celebrated Manrique’s appointment.
“I thank Lasso for playing for Ecuador and giving us the opportunity to serve it. It has not been easy, but I am sure that for the country and for his presidency, which must be respected, this is the correct decision,” tweeted Holguín, who held the position since last January 3, 2022.
This resignation occurs in the midst of a process of impeachment promoted by the National Assembly, with an opposition majority, against Lasso for a corruption case, known as “The Great Godfather.”
At the same time, legislators from the opposition alliance Unión por la Esperanza (UNES), linked to former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), had warned that they were preparing a request for impeachment against the now former foreign minister.
Holguín, born in Quito in 1983, began his relationship with the Government of Lasso as an Ad Honorem Itinerant Ambassador and Presidential Advisor. The businessman was one of those responsible for the Covid-19 “Vaccine Diplomacy” strategy for Ecuador, as reported by the portal Primicias.
Before his time in the Executive, he was a militant of the pro-government Creo and a candidate for mayor of Quito for that party.
In his last month at the head of the Foreign Ministry, Holguín was the protagonist of a diplomatic crisis with the Government of Alberto Fernández, after the departure of former minister María de los Ángeles Duarte from the Argentine embassy in the Ecuadorian capital. Wanted by justice, Duarte fled to Venezuela after evading surveillance at the diplomatic headquarters where she was taking refuge.
Following this event, the Lasso government declared the Argentine ambassador in Quito, Gabriel Fuks, persona non grata, and asked him to withdraw from the country, while calling his representative in Argentina, Xavier Monge, for consultations.
“We are very sorry to reach this point, but the inconsistencies in some of the information related to the situation of Mrs. María de los Ángeles Duarte have made us make this decision,” Holguín declared at the time.
In response, the Argentine government regretted “the incomprehensible decision” of the Ecuadorian Executive and adopted the same decision for the Ecuadorian ambassador in Buenos Aires.
Source: Ambito
