Maria Fernanda Guillen will temporarily take over as mayor of Quito from November 12 while incumbent Pabel Munoz campaigns for re-election.
Guillen, who represents the Revolucion Ciudadana movement, was elected vice mayor by Quito's Metropolitan Council on Friday, November 6, 2026. The appointment puts her in charge of municipal administration until November 26, when the official local election campaign period concludes.
Munoz requested unpaid leave to focus on his re-election campaign. Sitting Vice Mayor Fernanda Racines also requested unpaid leave to campaign for re-election as a city councillor, creating a temporary leadership vacancy at the head of the capital's municipal government.
Council vote and legal reform
The Metropolitan Council approved Guillen's appointment as vice mayor with 14 votes in favour and four against during an extraordinary session on Friday. Councillor Emilio Uzcategui, who also belongs to Revolucion Ciudadana, formally nominated Guillen for the post.
The decision followed political negotiations among councillors and a review of legal precedents. The debate concluded with the council granting the requested unpaid leaves for both Munoz and Racines before moving to fill the interim post.
Ahead of the vote, the council held an extraordinary session on Thursday to approve a reform to the city's open government ordinance. The measure addressed a legal vacuum in municipal law regarding how to handle the simultaneous absence of both the mayor and vice mayor during an election campaign.
Under the new ordinance, the substitute vice mayor must be elected by an absolute majority of the Metropolitan Council in a single vote. The regulation requires the appointment to respect gender parity in relation to the person holding the mayoralty, and stipulates that the election must take place before the unpaid leaves of both outgoing authorities begin.
The ordinance also requires the council to publish all decisions and resolutions related to the succession procedure on the city's open government portal before selecting the replacement authority.
Electoral rules and council departures
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and the country's political centre. Under Ecuadorian electoral regulations, sitting public officials who run for public office must take unpaid leave during the official campaign period to prevent the use of public resources or municipal platforms for campaign activities.
Revolucion Ciudadana, the left-wing political movement led by former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, holds substantial representation on the municipal council. Both Munoz and Guillen belong to the movement, which has sought to ensure administrative continuity at city hall throughout the campaign window.
Guillen joined the council as a voting member on August 24 following the resignation of councillor Wilson Merino. Merino stepped down from his council seat to launch his own candidacy for mayor of Quito in the November elections.
Upcoming changes to the municipal council
The leadership handover comes as several other municipal legislators prepare to launch their own campaign bids. Munoz suggested that all other councillors seeking re-election submit their formal requests for unpaid leave by Friday night.
The council will consider those leave requests during a regular legislative session scheduled for Tuesday, November 10. That session will reveal the names of the substitute councillors who will step in for roughly a dozen council members running for re-election.
Guillen will assume her duties as acting mayor on November 12, when the official election campaign begins. Under municipal regulations, she will exercise all powers and responsibilities assigned to the office of the mayor throughout her interim term.
Career of Maria Fernanda Guillen
Guillen is an economist by profession with more than 15 years of experience in project management and public policy development. She held multiple administrative roles in local government prior to taking her seat on the municipal council.
In September 2024, Guillen served as zonal administrator for La Delicia, a district in northern Quito. The following month, in October 2024, she became zonal administrator for La Mariscal, a central urban parish known for business, culture, and tourism.
Before assuming Merino's council seat in August, Guillen worked as technical coordinator at Quito Turismo, the municipal enterprise responsible for developing and promoting tourism across the metropolitan district.
