A quiet start, a rapid rise.

What began as a largely unknown political project in Guayaquil has, in just a few years, transformed into Ecuador’s most powerful political movement. National Democratic Action (Acción Democrática Nacional, or ADN), officially registered with the National Electoral Council (CNE) in May 2024, now occupies the presidency and is poised to control the National Assembly after the 2025 elections.

Though ADN only gained legal status last year, it had already operated under the same initials during the 2023 presidential campaign, where it propelled Daniel Noboa Azin to a surprise victory. The movement’s formal roots may be recent, but its backstory reveals a more complex evolution involving multiple figures, shifting allegiances, and a rebranding that ultimately aligned with the ambitions of Ecuador’s youngest-ever president.

Rapid institutionalization

The CNE authorized the initial registration process for ADN on October 13, 2022. Promoters Beatriz Moreno and Zaida Rovira were notified that they could begin gathering the required documentation, including member signatures, party statutes, and proof of physical presence across the country.

By April 29, 2024—barely three weeks before the registration deadline ahead of the 2025 elections—ADN submitted more than 450,000 signatures and supporting materials from 12 provinces. The group reported 230,021 members, with 161,375 listed as permanent, a striking figure for such a young organization.

Moreno, a longtime business administrator within the Noboa family’s corporate empire and a former PRIAN candidate, became the party’s national president. She was also responsible for the finances of Noboa’s 2023 presidential campaign, which has yet to submit final expense reports for the second round.

The leadership includes other close allies of the president: Michele Sensi Contugi, a former intelligence chief and government minister, and First Lady Lavinia Valbonesi, who serves as vice president of the party. High-level appointees in Noboa’s administration, such as Cynthia Gellibert, Arturo Félix, and José Neira, also hold important roles in ADN’s strategic core.

Political DNA with murky origins

Despite its polished branding and central-left rhetoric, ADN’s origins are murkier than its current image suggests. Before Noboa assumed control, the movement had already made informal appearances in national politics, most notably during the 2021 presidential race.

That early iteration of ADN was associated with Leonardo Cortázar, a controversial Guayaquil businessman facing charges in the high-profile Encuentro corruption case. Cortázar’s political history included support for multiple parties, including PRE and FE—both tied to the Bucaram family—as well as Libertad es Pueblo, linked to a brother of former President Lenín Moreno. In 2021, he used the ADN name to back the left-leaning Andrés Arauz-Carlos Rabascall ticket.

By 2022, Cortázar had faded from the picture, and Noboa’s team began a sweeping rebranding effort. ADN’s visual identity was overhauled, and Noboa began touring the country under its new banner, although remnants of the past remained. For a time, the official ADN website redirected visitors to a YouTube channel previously run by Cortázar, which still featured pro-Correa content.

A contested acronym

Adding to the confusion, another political group—National Democratic Alliance, also using the ADN acronym—claimed to have been working with the name since 2017. Led by Oswaldo Espinosa Jácome, this group had repeatedly failed to secure legal status with the CNE. During Noboa’s 2023 campaign, Espinosa’s team supported him in provinces like Loja and Pastaza, believing they shared a common political label.

Espinosa later filed three legal challenges in an attempt to block the registration of Noboa’s ADN. All three were dismissed by the Electoral Contentious Tribunal, solidifying Noboa’s claim to the acronym and clearing the path for full legal recognition.

Consolidation and the road ahead

With its legal foundations now secure, ADN has positioned itself as the dominant force in Ecuadorian politics. It has rapidly built a loyal base, secured executive power, and is now aiming to win control of the legislature in 2025.

The movement’s rise is as much a story of organizational discipline as it is of political convenience. Within four years, a platform once used to support opposing ideologies has been reshaped into the vehicle for Daniel Noboa’s technocratic, security-focused governance.

Though its roots may remain tangled, there is little ambiguity about its future. ADN, once a recycled shell of past campaigns, now holds the keys to Ecuador’s political machinery—with ambitions that stretch far beyond its brief legal existence.