Jahiren Elizabeth Noriega Donoso (born 1997) is an Ecuadorian politician and sociologist. She was elected to the National Assembly in 2022 and re-elected in 2023 as a member of the Citizen Revolution Movement.[1] As of 2023, she is Ecuador's youngest legislator.[2]

Jahiren Noriega
Noriega in 2023
Personal details
Born1997 (age 26–27)
NationalityEcuadorian
Political partyCitizen Revolution Movement
EducationCentral University of Ecuador
OccupationPolitician
Known forstudent leader, member of the National assembly

Education

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Noriega completed her secondary education at the Sebastián de Benalcazar Municipal School, where in November 2014 she was elected president of the student council. However, the campus authorities tried to prevent her from taking office because there had been no election regulations. Noriega filed a protection action against the school, which was ruled in her favor. Her case was supported by education minister Augusto Espinosa. Noriega was finally sworn in on February 3, 2015, and the Ministry of Education sanctioned the school's principal for her actions in the dispute.[3]

She went on to study at the Central University of Ecuador, where she majored in sociology.[4] There, she was politically active in arguing against cuts in the education budget made by Ecuadorian president Lenín Moreno.[4][5]

National political career

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She was chosen to be a candidate for the National Assembly even though she was in her 20s. Noriega argued that this was the way to engage Ecuado's younger generation in politics.[5]

 
Noriega and Gissela Garzon presenting draft legislation regarding femicide in October 2022

On 12 September 2022 she was one of two openly LGBT politicians (the other was Walter Gómez Ronquillo [es])[6][7] to take office as National Assembly members after the resignation of Alexandra Arce and Pabel Muñoz [es].[8] She represented the province of Pichincha for the Union for Hope[9] and served on the Permanent Commission on the Economic and Tax Regime.[10]

Noriega lost her seat, together with every other member of the assembly, following the actions of the President.[9] She was re-elected to the National Assembly following the snap 2023 Ecuadorian general election, and was elected to be a member of the Permanent Commission of Education, Culture, Science, Technology, Innovation and Ancestral Knowledge. The other members were Mauricio Zambrano, Cecilia Baltazar, Zolanda Pluas, Nathaly Morillo, Dallyana Passailaigue, Ana María Raffo, Hernán Zapata and Juan Carlos Camacho.[11]

While in office, Noriega has pushed for the decriminalization of abortion in cases of rape.[10][12]

Noriega argued with Esteban Bernal for action about the cases of children whose mothers are killed by femicide. According to the law they are entitled to comprensation but only 13% of the eligible cases she identifies have received compensation.[13]

Personal life

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Noriega is openly bisexual.[14]

References

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  1. ^ ""La decisión de Lasso es la salida de un presidente acorralado por un juicio político"". Diario Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  2. ^ Szalkowicz, Gerardo (2023-05-22). "Jahiren Noriega Donoso: "Fue la decisión de un presidente acorralado"". LatFem (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  3. ^ "Noriega se posesionó al Consejo Estudiantil del Benalcázar, tras 2 meses de disputas". El Telégrafo. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  4. ^ a b "Jahiren Noriega: La lucha de los universitarios es la lucha por una vida digna para todos". La Calle (in Spanish). 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  5. ^ a b "La juventud espera por más causas con sentido y mayor conciencia de la responsabilidad en la política ecuatoriana". La Hora. Archived from the original on 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  6. ^ Celi, Estefanía (12 May 2019). "Estos son los primeros miembros del Consejo de Participación elegidos por votación popular". Primicias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  7. ^ Ortiz, Estefanía (28 June 2021). "Ser político LGBTI+ en Ecuador: la intrincada lucha que pocos alcanzan". Vistazo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Tres legisladores ya renunciaron a sus curules para participar en los comicios del 2023". El Universo (in Spanish). 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Conozca a los 51 legisladores de la bancada de la Revolución Ciudadana". El Universo. Archived from the original on 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  10. ^ a b Yanina Busquet, Agustina Gallardo (2022-11-02). "Jahiren Noriega Donoso: "Las discusiones económicas tienen un impacto real en la vida de la gente"". LatFem (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  11. ^ "Así fueron integradas las 15 comisiones en la Asamblea Nacional; cada una eligió a sus autoridades". www.vistazo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  12. ^ "Jahiren Noriega: "Espero que los asambleístas voten con empatía"". La Calle (in Spanish). 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  13. ^ Wambra, Redacción (2023-01-09). "87% de niños y niñas en orfandad tras femicidios de sus madres no reciben bono del Estado". Wambra Medio Comunitario (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  14. ^ Rivas, Diego; Carreño, Víctor Hugo (13 February 2023). "Ecuador tendrá por primera vez un alcalde abiertamente gay. ¿Por qué es simbólico su triunfo?". edicion111.com (in Spanish). EdicionCientonce. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023.