Marcela Paola Aguiñaga Vallejo (born 25 April 1973) is an

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

ian politician. She most recently served as the Second Vice President of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

of Ecuador. Previously she was the Ecuadorian

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of a ...

Education

She attended the

Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil (UCSG) (English: Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil) is a private, Catholic, higher education institution in Guayaquil, Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a coun ...

, where she earned a degree in law. She did her post-graduate studies in environmental law and sustainable development at the

University of Guayaquil The University of Guayaquil ( Spanish: ''Universidad de Guayaquil''), known colloquially as the ''Estatal'' (i.e., "the State niversity), is a public university in Guayaquil, Guayas Province, Ecuador. Estatal was founded in 1883. It is the ol ...

Professional life

She started her career in 1999 as a legal assistant and associate attorney at Estudio Jurídico Aguiñaga & Compañía. In 2000, she continued her career as a legal assistant at the

Galápagos National Park Galápagos National Park () was established in 1959. It began operation in 1968, and it is Ecuador's first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Park history The government of Ecuador has designated 97% of the land area of the Gal ...

Political career

In 2007, Aguiñaga started working for the Ministry of Environment. From March till September 2007, she was Subsecretary of Fishing Resources. Subsequently she was Subsecretary of Aquaculture from September till November 2007. She was named Minister of the Environment by President

Rafael Correa Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado (; born 6 April 1963) is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as the 45th president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation until 2017, Corr ...

on November 17, 2007, replacing lawyer Anita Albán. She ended her term as Minister of the Environment in November 2012 to run for a seat in the National Assembly as a PAIS Alliance candidate in the February 2013 elections. She was elected a member for the National Constituency and named Second Vice President of the Council of Legislative Administration (an Assembly body) in May 2013. In 2019 Aguiñaga revealed that she was one of three members of the National Assembly investigated by the Attorney General for allegedly inciting violence during the General Strike in October 2019. The other two were Marcela Holguín and Daniel Romero. Since 2021 she has been president of

Citizen Revolution Movement The Citizen Revolution Movement (, RC) is a centre-left to left-wing political party in Ecuador formed by supporters of former President Rafael Correa who distanced themselves from Correa's former PAIS Alliance party during the presidency of Le ...

, a new pro-Correa left-wing party.

Personal life

Aguiñaga has said that working for the Galápagos National Park has made the environment a priority in her life.

References

External links

National Assembly Member Marcela Aguiñaga
Pais Alliance {{DEFAULTSORT:Aguinaga, Marcela 1973 births Living people Politicians from Guayaquil 21st-century Ecuadorian lawyers Government ministers of Ecuador Members of the second National Assembly (Ecuador) PAIS Alliance politicians Ecuadorian women lawyers 21st-century Ecuadorian women politicians Women government ministers of Ecuador Women members of the National Assembly (Ecuador) 21st-century women lawyers