Sofía Eugenia Espín Reyes is an

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

ian politician. After she was dismissed from 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 rep ...

she fled to Bolivia, where she applied for political asylum. Before this was resolved she was re-elected in May 2021. Espín was the president of the political coalition called

Union for Hope Union for Hope ( es, Unión por la Esperanza) is a political coalition in Ecuador for the 2021 Ecuadorian general election. Political groups from the Left-wing politics, left-wing participated, with only the Democratic Center Movement being offici ...

Life

left, Press conference in September 2017 She was a delegate for the Citizen Revolution, but dismissed from the National Assembly in November 2018 with a majority of 94 votes. An investigation had noted that she visited Jessica Falcón, a person in prison who was involved with the kidnap of the politician

Fernando Balda Fernando Marcelo Balda Flores (born 3 August 1971) is an Ecuadorian politician. Politics Balda stated that he had been abducted in July 2012 in Bogotá, Colombia, to which he had fled because in 2009, he had dropped his support for the Ecuad ...

. This is an important case that involves the former President

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

. It was said that she and lawyer, Yadira Cadena, made an offer of legal assistance, money and political asylum, in Belgium, to Balda is she was willing to retract her evidence in the Balda case. Former President Correa fled to Belgium where he applied for political asylum while resisting Ecuador's claims for his extradition. Espín was required to present herself to the Provincial Court of Justice of Guayas every eight days, but before the end of 2018 she left the country for "health reasons". In January 2019 she was in Bolivia with former head of communications Carlos Ochoa. They were described as "fugitives from justice" and they both applied for political asylum in February. They said that President

Lenín Moreno Lenín Voltaire Moreno Garcés (; born 19 March 1953) is an Ecuadorian politician who served as the 46th president of Ecuador, from 2017 to 2021. Moreno was vice president from 2007 to 2013, serving under President Rafael Correa. He was nominat ...

's administration was persecuting the two of them, although the Ecuadorian government assured the Bolivians that they were common criminals and there was no political motivation. At the time the Bolivian government said that they would make a decision within four months, but a decision was never published. In April 2020 she was said to be in exile with Correa in Mexico. She had travelled overland from Bolivia to Lima where she then caught a plane for Mexico in November. Espín was re-elected to the National Assembly in 2021. She retook her seat on 14 May. She resigned from her position as president of

(UNES) and was replaced by Paola Cabezas. In November 2021 she was one of the politicians who abstained which allowed the Economic Development and Fiscal Sustainability Law to be passed. She also proposed, in the National Assembly, that 15 November should be set aside as a day to remember worker's struggle on the anniversary of the

1922 Guayaquil general strike The 1922 Guayaquil general strike was a three-day general work stoppage in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, which lasted from 13 to 15 November of that year. The strike began with trolley, electric company and other public utility workers who were ...

and massacre. In June 2022 she was among the members who requested a debate concerning the replacement of President

Guillermo Lasso Guillermo Alberto Santiago Lasso Mendoza (; born 16 November 1955) is an Ecuadorian businessman, banker, writer and politician who has served as the 47th president of Ecuador since 24 May 2021. He is the country's first centre-right president ...

because of his alleged mismanagement. 46 other members signed the request including

Vanessa Álava María Vanessa Álava Moreira is an Ecuadorian politician who was elected to Ecuador's National Assembly for the . She was not re-elected in 2023. Life Álava was born in 1982 and she was brought up in El Carmen Canton. She studied at the Te ...

, Jhajaira Urresta, Patricia Mendoza,

Victoria Desintonio Victoria Tatiana Desintonio Malavé (born 1988) is an Ecuadorian politician. She was elected to the seven-member Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control by popular vote and she was later removed. She then became a member of Ecuad ...

, Viviana Veloz and Rosa Mayorga.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espin, Sofia Living people Members of the National Assembly (Ecuador) Women members of the National Assembly (Ecuador) 21st-century Ecuadorian politicians 21st-century Ecuadorian women politicians Year of birth missing (living people)