Assembly Makes Final Decision on Impeachment Trial Against Inés Manzano

Ecuador's National Assembly convened on July 31, 2026, to decide the fate of impeachment proceedings against former Energy Minister Inés Manzano. The debate centered on whether to accept or reject a report from the Fiscalization Commission, which recommended archiving the case. The impeachment was initiated due to concerns over the contracting of power generators from Austral Technical Management (ATM) during the nation's 2024 energy crisis.

The Fiscalization Commission's 94-page report concluded there was "insufficient evidence to identify political responsibility." It argued that the arguments presented by the accusers were "incoherent" and that much of the evidence, such as press clippings and social media posts, lacked proper authentication and chain of custody. The report also noted that a significant portion of the contract payment to ATM was processed before Manzano's ministerial order was officially recorded.

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Legislators Mónica Palacios, Blasco Luna, and Lenin Barreto of the Revolución Ciudadana party spearheaded the impeachment effort. They contend that Manzano bears political responsibility for the generator contracts during the energy emergency. Barreto expressed hope for support from other parties to reject the report's findings, criticizing the stance of independent legislators and calling the ATM contract "fraudulent."

Conversely, Assembly member Luigi García of Acción Democrática Nacional defended the Fiscalization Commission's work, emphasizing transparency and public access. He stated that the presented evidence did not establish a direct link to Manzano's political responsibility. Allied legislator José Nango acknowledged the 2024 energy crisis but affirmed that no political responsibility for Manzano was proven during the investigation. Nango moved to approve the report, noting that archiving the impeachment would not preclude further investigations into potential irregularities concerning the ATM contract.

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