María Paula Romo (born 4 June 1979) is an Ecuadorian politician that served as Minister of Government under President Lenin Moreno. 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 The National Assembly ( es, Asamblea Nacional) is the unicameral legislature of Ecuador. It replaced the National Congress in 2009 following reforms under the 2008 Constitution. The current President of the Assembly is Virgilio Saquicela si ...

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. 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. 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 Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

in opposition to Correa, but she did not keep her seat. President Moreno chose Romo as Ecuador's Interior Minister on 31 August 2018. National Assembly members Lourdes Cuesta,

Amapola Naranjo Amapola is Spanish for "poppy", meaning the genus '' Papaver'' Amapola may also refer to: * "Amapola" (song), a 1920 song written by Joseph Lacalle * ''Amapola'' (film), a 2014 Argentine-American romantic comedy fantasy film * Amapola Flyg ...

and Roberto Gómez, challenged Romo saying that she had failed to fulfil her ministerial duties during the national strike in October 2019. 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).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romo, Maria Paula 1979 births Living people Universidad San Francisco de Quito alumni Women government ministers of Ecuador Members of the National Congress (Ecuador) Ecuadorian feminists Female interior ministers Politicians from Quito 21st-century Ecuadorian women politicians 21st-century Ecuadorian politicians