Three candidates seeking to become Ecuador's next State Attorney General faced formal public challenge hearings in Quito on Tuesday after a single citizen filed objections against their qualifications and documentation.
A citizen selection commission overseeing the public competition heard appeals against Julia Maritza Villalta Garcia, Mauricio Javier Aguirre Lopez, and Andrea Elizabeth Cazar Villacis at the headquarters of the Council for Public Participation and Social Control.
All three challenges were brought by citizen Luis Edwin Cangahuamin Andrango, whose legal representative presented arguments citing rules on candidate probity and suitability under the selection contest regulations.
The Council for Public Participation and Social Control, known as the CPCCS, is the state body in Ecuador responsible for organising public selection contests and appointing key authorities, including the State Attorney General. The State Attorney General leads the public prosecution service, managing criminal investigations and legal proceedings across the country.
Objections Over Amazon Residency Claim
The first hearing opened shortly after 10:00 a.m. in Quito to address the candidacy of Julia Maritza Villalta Garcia. Cangahuamin's representative appealed her nomination over an alleged contradiction in documentation regarding her place of residence.
The challenger argued that Villalta Garcia was awarded one bonus point for declared residency in Ecuador's Amazon region based on supporting documents she submitted. However, official records including her identity card and voting certificate state her birthplace and last voting location in Puyango canton, located in Loja province.
Cangahuamin based the appeal on Article 46, numeral 2, of the attorney general selection regulations, which governs candidate probity and suitability.
Villalta Garcia rejected the challenge, telling the commission that her submitted documentation was authentic and unaltered. She argued that verifying candidate documentation is the responsibility of the selection panel rather than the applicant.
She cited Articles 35 and 39 of the codified regulations, which assign document qualification duties to the commission, and stated that the challenge against her was unjustified.
Under Ecuadorian public contest regulations, applicants from the eastern Amazon region qualify for residency incentive points. Loja province is located in Ecuador's southern Andean highlands along the border with Peru, outside the Amazon basin.
Allegations of Conflict of Interest
The second hearing addressed an objection against candidate Mauricio Javier Aguirre Lopez, with Cangahuamin's representative again citing Article 46, numeral 2, regarding probity and suitability.
The challenger told the commission that records in the file showed Aguirre Lopez had declared that the mercantile registrar of Quito is his brother. Despite declaring under oath that he faced no conflicts of interest, Aguirre Lopez submitted a merit recognition signed by his brother, earning 0.25 points for the document.
Cangahuamin's representative argued that an objective incompatibility existed between the absolute denial of a conflict of interest, the family and institutional origin of the document, and the benefit obtained.
Aguirre Lopez, through his legal representative, denied any dishonest, fraudulent, deceitful, or shady conduct regarding his candidacy. He opposed the challenger's claims, stated that no lack of probity or suitability existed after reviewing the file, and requested that commissioners dismiss the challenge.
The mercantile registry of Quito is a municipal public registry responsible for recording corporate, commercial, and property documents in the capital.
Dispute Over Past Legal Action
In the afternoon, the commission held a third hearing to review an objection against candidate Andrea Elizabeth Cazar Villacis under the same regulatory provision.
The challenger cited Cazar's withdrawal of a constitutional protection action filed after she was declared inadmissible during a 2023 selection contest for national public defender.
Cangahuamin's representative explained that the objection targeted a documented procedural sequence involving inadmissibility in a public contest, an unfavorable reconsideration, legal action seeking full nullity of the contest, a scheduled hearing, a withdrawal submitted one day prior to the proceeding, and an institutional request for disciplinary control over possible abuse of rights.
Cazar questioned the validity of the documents presented, telling the commission that the challenger relied on convoluted rhetoric that sought to criminalise the exercise of constitutional rights to construct a narrative lacking logic.
She stated that an inspection of the physical file showed no certified copies of the cited documents, nor were digital attachments or materialised electronic signatures present, rendering the evidence non-existent.
In Ecuador, a protection action is a constitutional legal mechanism used to defend fundamental rights against public authority decisions. The public defender selection contest is another major national process administered by the CPCCS to choose the head of the public defense system.
Further Hearings Scheduled
Public challenge hearings before the selection commission are set to continue on Wednesday, 23 September.
The commission is scheduled to hear appeals against candidates Mario David Fonseca Vallejo, Luiggi Roberto Miranda Peralda, and Christian Ramon Rodriguez Torres.
