María Paula Romo

María Paula Romo (born 4 June 1979)[1] is an Ecuadorian politician. She was removed from office for human rights violations during 2019 protests against government cuts while she served as Interior Minister under President Lenin Moreno.[2]

María Paula Romo
Romo in 2018
Interior Minister of Ecuador
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
Quito, Ecuador
Alma materUniversidad San Francisco de Quito

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.

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 didn't keep her seat.[5]

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

In August 2019, Amnesty International announced that it had identified human rights violations by Romo in the case of Ola Bini.[7]

Ecuador's largest indigenous organization has called for Romo's resignation due to her role in government-sanctioned violence during anti-austerity protests in October 2019.[8][9] Romo has apologized for police attacks on safe zones for protesters.[10]

In November 24, the National Assembly with 104 positive votes, approved the motion to censure and dimiss her for allowing harsh police intervention against protesters in October last year. Also, she was 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 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).[11]

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. "Ecuador: Government interfered in criminal case against Ola Bini". Amnesty International. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  8. Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador [@CONAIE_Ecuador] (October 9, 2019). "#SOSEcuador Esto no saldrá en los grandes medios de comunicación, pueblo civil, campesinos, trabajadores víctimas de la violencia desmedida de la policía y militares. Exigimos la renuncia de ministros criminales @mariapaularomo y Oswaldo Jarrín ante delito de lesa humanidad" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. Gómez Barrios, Pablo (15 October 2019). "La crisis ecuatoriana que terminó ayer dejó 8 muertos y 1340 heridos". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  10. Romero, Henry; Garcia Rawlins, Carlos (10 October 2019). "Native Ecuadoreans detain, then free, police in anti-austerity conflict". Reuters. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  11. Dogan, Sinan. "Ecuador's interior minister dimissed". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
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