Mónica Rosa Irene Palencia Núñez is a lawyer who was born in Mexico and she emigrated as an adult to Ecuador. She became the Ecuadorian Minister of the Interior and a citizen of Ecuador in 2023.

Life

Mónica Rosa Irene Palencia Núñez was born in Mexico in

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

. Her father, Héctor Alfredo Palencia Alonso, was a lawyer. He directed the Institute of Culture of the State of Durango. She was an alumnus of Durango's Juárez University after she graduated with a law degree. She lived in Durango until she was 21. She then emigrated to Ecuador where she continued her education in Guayaquil where she obtained a masters degree. left, New President Daniel Noboa with his new minister, 23 November 2023 She had lived in Ecuador "for more than forty years" and she became a citizen of Ecuador in 2023 "minutes before" she joined the government. On 23 November she was chosen by the new President,

Daniel Noboa Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín ( ; ; born 30 November 1987) is an Ecuadorian politician and businessman currently serving as the 48th president of Ecuador since 23 November 2023. Taking office at the age of 35, he is the second-youngest presid ...

, to become a government minister. She became the Minister of the Interior and the Minister for Government. Fellow ministers in the new government included Yvonne Nunez, Zaida Rovira, Arianna Tanca, Romina Muñoz and

Gabriela Sommerfeld María Gabriela Sommerfeld Rosero is the Ecuadorian foreign minister. She led tourism for Quito, and has been the CEO of multiple airlines and a leading hotel. Life Sommerfield was educated at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and she went ...

. In April 2024 she was confirmed as the Minister of the Interior and Michele Sensi Contugi became the Minister for Government. One of her ministerial trips was back to Mexico where she spoke of the new Ecuadorian President's regard for democracy. A disgraced ex-vice President of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, who had asylum, was sheltering from justice inside the Mexican embassy. He was arrested by force by police without the permission of Mexico. Palencia was allegedly involved in ordering the arrest within the Mexican embassy. The President of Mexico,

López Obrador López is a surname of Spanish origin. It was originally a patronymic, meaning "Son of Lope", ''Lope'' itself being a Spanish given name deriving from Latin ''lupus'', meaning "wolf". Its Portuguese and Galician equivalent is ''Lopes'', its Ital ...

, complained about the infringement of international law and broke off diplomatic relations but he said that he would not be labelling Palencia a traitor. Palencia faced impeachment over her role in the arrest of a disgraced politician inside the Mexican Embassy. Independent assembly member

Lucía Posso Lucía Posso Naranjo (born 8 August, 1980) is an Ecuadorian politician who is a member of Ecuador's National Assembly for the province of Imbabura. She has been an Independent politician. Life Her education was at the Pensionado Atahualpa Scho ...

noted that the law was being used to control politicians but ministers must face that this was necessary as the executive must "be accountable to the Plenary". On 3 September the assembly carried a resolution that delayed the impeachment of Palencia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palencia, Monica Living people People from Durango Ecuadorian politicians Government ministers of Ecuador 1960s births Mexican lawyers