Ecuador: Maria Alejandra Muñoz Appointed as Vice President

Ecuador's National Assembly Friday elected Maria Alejandra Muñoz,  head of the country’s customs agency, as the country's new vice president.

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With 75 affirmative votes, 22 negatives, and 38 abstentions Muñoz was appointed as the country’s fourth person to occupy this position in the 3 years of Lenin Moreno's government.  

Muñoz’s appointment comes after the resignation of Otto Sonnenholzner earlier this month. Sonnenholzner announced he will run for president in Ecuador’s upcoming elections.

"Congratulations Maria Alejandra! I invite you not to waste a minute on the task of strengthening our democracy," President Lenin Moreno wrote on Twitter following the election. 

Muñoz was third on the list that President Lenin Moreno sent  to the National Assembly after the resignation of Otto Sonnenholzner. 

Maria Paula Romo, Minister of Government, led the list, followed by Juan Sebastian Roldan, Presidential Cabinet Secretary.

Maria Alejandra Muñoz is a 41-year-old native of the city of Guayaquil. She is a lawyer with a masters degree in Violence Prevention on the University of Salamanca.