Verónica Abad Rojas (born 14 November 1976) is an Ecuadorian business coach and politician who is the

vice president of Ecuador The vice president of Ecuador is the second highest political position in Ecuador. In many instances, the vice president succeeded the president in turbulent political situations. The last time was in 2005 after the resignation of president Lucio ...

following the second round of the 2023 general election. She was also an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Cuenca in 2023 and previously worked on international projects to support entrepreneurship for young people and women.

Early life

Veronica Abad was born in Cuenca. She belongs to a musician family, in which she spent her childhood practicing ballet, and playing musical instruments such as piano and violin. Abad studied Business Administration, but did not finish her degree. Then she took some short courses about Entrepreneurship in Santiago de Chile, Political Strategy at the

Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (german: Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit) (''FNF''), is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party. Established in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first pres ...

Gummersbach Gummersbach (; ksh, Jummersbach) is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne. History In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in offic ...

, Germany, and Innovation and Technology at the Friends of Zion Institute, Jerusalem.

Career

Abad began in politics when she participated at the 2006 Ecuadorian local elections. Later on, she became the founder of the Network of Women Directors and worked on international projects to support entrepreneurship, especially for young people and women. Abad worked at the Secretary Against Child Malnutrition between 2020 and 2022. In the

2023 Ecuadorian local elections The 2023 Ecuadorian local elections were held on 5 February 2023, alongside the 2023 Ecuadorian constitutional referendum. These elections determined 23 prefects, 23 vice-prefects, 221 mayors, 868 urban councilors, 437 rural councilors, and 4, ...

, Abad was candidate for Mayor of Cuenca for the

AMIGO Movement The AMIGO Movement (; short for '','' AMIGO) is an Ecuadorian political party. It was founded in the province of Manabí by former assemblyman Daniel Mendoza, under the name "Mejor: Emprendimiento, Justicia, Oportunidades Reales". In 2019, it ...

. In the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

later that year, Abad became the running mate of presidential candidate

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 ...

and they unexpectedly advanced to the run-off election. They were running under the

National Democratic Action The National Democratic Labour Action Society – Wa'ad ( ar, جمعية العمل الوطني الديمقراطي – وعد) is Bahrain's largest leftist political party. History and profile It emerged from the Popular Front, a "radical" ...

ticket. Following her election as Vice President in 2023, Verónica Abad's first official role was a highly-charged one. President Daniel Noboa assigned her as a Special Envoy for Peace to Israel, tasked with facilitating dialogue and de-escalating tensions in the wake of the

2023 Israel–Hamas war } The ongoing armed conflict between Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups and Israel military forces began on 7 October 2023, 50 years after the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Hamas's coordinated surprise offensive, codenamed "Al-Aqsa Fl ...

, effectively distancing her from his administration. On December 4, she was formally appointed by President Noboa as Ecuador's peace envoy to Israel. She arrived at the diplomatic mission on December 10.

Political positions

Abad opposes abortion,

LGBTQ+ rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

and 4th wave feminism. She says she defends freedom of religion, individual rights,

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property and personal property, which is owned by a state entity, and from collective or ...

, small government and free markets. She has also shown sympathy for politicians including Donald Trump and

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...

, and the

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

Spanish party Vox.

Personal life

Abad is a mother of three and grandmother. She is a Christian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abad Rojas, Verónica 1976 births Living people People from Cuenca, Ecuador 21st-century Ecuadorian politicians 21st-century Ecuadorian women politicians Vice presidents of Ecuador Ecuadorian Christians Right-wing populists Right-wing populism in South America Women vice presidents in South America