In 1997, Abdalá Bucaram, known as ‘El Loco’, was removed from his position as president of Ecuador due to corruption scandals and mismanagement. The National Congress removed him from office, alleging “mental incapacity,” based on Article 100 of the Constitution in force at the time. During that session, Fabian Alarcon was appointed “interim president,” a figure not contemplated in the Constitution. However, the vice president at the time, Rosalía Arteaga, also claimed the presidency and issued a decree assuming the position. This situation led to a conflict known as the ‘Night of the Three Presidents’.
The Armed Forces initially did not take sides in the conflict, and there were tumultuous days until they withdrew their support for Bucaram and Alarcón accepted that his designation as interim president be annulled by Congress. Arteaga assumed the position of president in charge with the support of part of the Congress, but her mandate was brief. She proposed a constitutional reform to establish a clear succession, but the Legislative met again and appointed Alarcón as interim president, backed by the Armed Forces and state institutions.
Arteaga returned to the vice presidency and subsequently resigned to run as a candidate in the 1998 presidential elections, where she did poorly. After the events of 2004, Arteaga was officially recognized as Ecuador’s first woman president by decree of the Lucio Gutiérrez government. She has denounced that her dismissal was due to the prevailing machismo in the country and has highlighted the attempt to erase her presence in history, as evidenced by the absence of her portrait in the Hall of Presidents of the Carondelet Palace until June 2018.
Despite the challenges and obstacles she faced, Arteaga has expressed her gratitude for the belated recognition given to her and considers that this does justice to the history of Ecuadorian women.