Ecuador's Assembly elects Esteban Torres as first vice president

On June 10, 2026, the National Assembly of Ecuador voted to appoint Esteban Torres Cobo as its first vice president. He secured 84 votes in favor, 58 against and one abstention, surpassing the 77‑vote absolute majority required by law. The election followed the recent ascension of Mishel Mancheno to the presidency of the Assembly after Niels Olsen's resignation, leaving the first‑vice‑presidency vacant.

Torres, a 36‑year‑old lawyer with a master’s degree from Queen Mary University in London, has previously served as second vice president in 2023, bloc leader for Acción Democrática Nacional, and viceminister of Government. He is the son of former assemblyman Luis Fernando Torres and hails from Tungurahua. Under article 16 of the Organic Law of the Legislative Function, the first vice president steps in as acting president if the president is temporarily absent. Because President Mancheno is pregnant and is expected to take maternity leave, Torres is anticipated to assume temporary leadership of the legislature during that period. He thanked the ADN bloc, independent deputies and President Daniel Noboa, emphasizing a constructive rather than obstructive legislative agenda.