QUITO. The deputy and former president of Ecuador Lucio Gutiérrez describes as “inconceivable and suspicious” the appointment of the consul of Ecuador in Queens, New York, United States, to Vinicio Kar Atamaint Wamputsar, brother of the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Diana Atamaint Wamputsar.
Through his social network account X, formerly Twitter, Gutiérrez asks himself “What is under the table? What is the deal? With Diana, nothing is free,” he said.
“We have asked Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfield to confirm the veracity of this terrible news,” he said, and urged the people to be attentive to this maneuver by Daniel Noboa’s government.
On the other hand, Deputy Gutiérrez sent a letter to Chancellor Sommerfield, requesting confirmation of this appointment of the CNE president’s brother and what the motivations and merits were for being appointed to that diplomatic position. “It would be regrettable if this appointment was the result of influence peddling,” the legislator highlighted in the office.
Criticism for the appointment of Vinicio Kar Atamaint
Vinicio Kar Atamaint Wamputsar began his work as a diplomat on January 1, 2024. The Foreign Ministry did not provide information about the merits or experience of the new consul.
The appointment of Atamaint Wamputsar has generated criticism from the opposition and sectors of civil society. One of the main criticisms is that the appointment of Atamaint Wamputsar, brother of the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Diana Atamaint Wamputsar, is an example of nepotism and influence peddling.
The appointment of Atamaint Wamputsar has also been criticized for replacing José Sandoval Zambrano, a prestigious career diplomat who had held the position of consul of Ecuador in Queens for a year.
Sandoval Zambrano is an official with extensive experience in the foreign service, and his appointment as Ecuadorian consul in Queens was widely recognized.
Trajectory of the new consul
Vinicio Kar Atamaint Wamputsar is an engineer in Local Government Management from the Polytechnic of Chimborazo and a graduate in International Relations from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). He has a master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Salamanca, Spain.
Atamaint Wamputsar has worked in the public and private sector. He was an advisor to the presidency of the National Assembly of Ecuador during the government of Rafael Correa. He has also worked on projects with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
(email protected)
Source: Social network account X of former president Lucio Gutiérrez, Planv.com.ec, Radio Huancavilca
