Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has appointed Cynthia Gellibert, the secretary general of public administration, as interim vice president, formally replacing Veronica Abad, the elected VP, amid a prolonged and public political rift.

The decision, announced in a presidential decree on Saturday, comes as Noboa prepares to campaign for a full four-year term in Ecuador’s upcoming April election. Under Ecuador’s constitution, the vice president is required to assume presidential duties when the president is on leave to campaign — a role Abad had insisted she was entitled to fulfill.

However, tensions between the two officials have simmered for over a year, with Abad barred from holding public office following a disciplinary complaint and claims of insubordination. According to the labor ministry, she failed to comply with a presidential directive to travel to Turkey last year, prompting her suspension in November.

In the decree, Noboa cited “legal proceedings and misconduct” as grounds for Abad’s removal and justified the appointment of Gellibert to ensure governmental continuity during the campaign period.

Abad, who also serves as Ecuador’s ambassador to Israel, has maintained her right to temporarily assume the presidency, but her diplomatic posting abroad and the political fallout with Noboa effectively sidelined her.

The leadership shake-up comes as Noboa prepares for a tight electoral rematch with Luisa Gonzalez, a leftist candidate and close ally of former President Rafael Correa. The two faced off in Ecuador’s 2023 snap election, and polls now suggest a competitive race once again.

Gellibert’s interim appointment is expected to last through the election season, as Noboa seeks to solidify his position amid internal party friction and rising political polarization.