Ecuador: Assembly to Pick New VP, Right-winger Expected to Win

Ecuador’s National Assembly will elect the country’s newest vice president Tuesday between three candidates presented last Thursday by President Lenin Moreno.

RELATED:
 Ecuador's Vice President Denies Allegations of Corruption

Otto Ramon Sonnenholzer Sper, a 35-year-old from the coastal city of Guayaquil, radio reporter and economist is expected to be picked. Sper was a member of Ecuador’s Broadcasting Association (AER) in the province of Guayas.

Sonnenholzer directs family businesses in construction and agriculture, according to local media. He is also being endorsed by right-wing factions in the country, including the National Integration coalition within the assembly and the National Chamber of Commerce that represents Ecuador’s big business sector.

The other candidates include Nancy Fabiola Elizabeth Vasco Noboa who currently heads the "Triangle" Foundation, an NGO that works for educational, vocational and labor inclusion and Agustin Guillermo Maldonado also of Guayaquil who works in business education and is a former banking executive.

Moreno has assured that all the candidates have a "transparent past" after he asked his most previous vice president, Maria Alejandra Vicuña to resign after being accused of receiving bribes while she was a lawmaker in 2013 in return for giving jobs.

Vicuña replaced Jorge Glas in January of this year who was imprisoned last year over controversial charges of receiving bribes from the Brazilian Odebrecht construction company, accusations he denies and which his allies argue is part of a witch hunt against officials of the former leftist government of Rafael Correa.