Guadalupe Larriva
Encyclopedia
Guadalupe Larriva was an Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

ian politician. She was the head of the Ecuadorian Socialist Party-Broad Front
Ecuadorian Socialist Party-Broad Front
The Socialist Party – Broad Front of Ecuador is a leftist political party in Ecuador.At the legislative elections, 20 October 2002, the party won at least 1 out of 100 seats...

 (list 17), as well as the country's Defense Minister under President Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...

. A former university professor, she was also the first civilian in 25 years, and the first female in Ecuador's history to hold the post.

Larriva was killed near Manta Air Base
Manta Air Base
Manta Air Base / Eloy Alfaro International Airport is a combination civilian airport and military air base on the outskirts of Manta in the province of Manabí in western continental Ecuador. The airport, also known as Eloy Alfaro Air Base, is named in honor of Eloy Alfaro, a former president of...

 in a helicopter crash on January 24, 2007 20:23h Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

ian time, when 2 Aérospatiale Gazelle
Aérospatiale Gazelle
The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a five-seat light helicopter, powered by a single turbine engine. It was designed and manufactured in France by Sud Aviation . It was also manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom , by SOKO in Yugoslavia and ABHCO in Egypt...

 helicopters of the "Aviación del Ejército Nº 43" collided during a night training. She died only nine days after being handed her portfolio as defense minister.
Two days earlier the defense minister had announced that Ecuador would not renew its contract with the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

 which allows US troops to be stationed in and operate from Manta Air Base
Manta Air Base
Manta Air Base / Eloy Alfaro International Airport is a combination civilian airport and military air base on the outskirts of Manta in the province of Manabí in western continental Ecuador. The airport, also known as Eloy Alfaro Air Base, is named in honor of Eloy Alfaro, a former president of...

.

All on board the 2 helicopters, including Larriva's 17-year-old daughter Claudia Ávila and 5 Army officers (Tnte. Crnel. Marco Gortaire Padovani, Cap. Celso Hugo Acosta, Cap. Byron Iván Zurita Basantes, Cap. Richard Marcelo Jurado Gallardo, Tnte. Luis Milton Herrera Espín) died in the crash.

After the death of Larriva, Rafael Correa promised to appoint another woman to the position of Defense Minister. He fulfilled that promise on January 30, 2007 when he appointed Lorena Escudero to replace her. Escudero is also from Cuenca and was also a university professor.
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