Noboa aims to boost international visibility with high-profile guests while maintaining a frugal approach to inauguration spending.
As Daniel Noboa prepares for his second inauguration as president on May 24, 2025, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry faces a balancing act: keep costs down while raising the event’s diplomatic profile. The task echoes a broader shift in how Ecuador approaches presidential transitions—scaled-back spectacles amid fiscal caution, but with growing pressure for international relevance.
Austerity Reigns, but Prestige Still Matters
Gone are the days of grandiose celebrations like those under Rafael Correa, when multimillion-dollar galas showcased political pageantry. Noboa, who first took office in a special election in November 2023, has so far embraced a more modest approach. His previous inauguration cost just over $132,000—down significantly from a proposed $600,000 budget, after he personally requested a 50% reduction from the outgoing administration.
Guillermo Lasso’s 2021 inauguration, held during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, cost even less at roughly $123,265. However, the budget figures for Lasso are somewhat opaque. The event was bundled into the Foreign Ministry’s broader annual services contract, blurring the details behind the line items. Noboa’s upcoming inauguration may face the same accounting ambiguity.
This time, the ministry is again grouping the event into a larger procurement package for all protocol activities in 2025, rather than isolating the presidential handover as a distinct budget item. This year’s total budget for 150 official events is set at $430,373—about $130,000 more than in 2024. Whether that increase reflects the inauguration’s cost or other high-level functions remains unclear.
More Guests, Bigger Stage
Although austerity remains the public message, Noboa’s team hopes to boost the profile of the May ceremony by inviting prominent international figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. That marks a clear contrast with the president’s first swearing-in, where the short transition period limited foreign attendance to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Diplomatic weight aside, inviting Trump may also be an effort to burnish Noboa’s conservative credentials and shore up support among business circles both domestically and abroad. Still, the president’s relatively limited global visibility poses a challenge. The underwhelming turnout at the Ibero-American Summit in Cuenca earlier this year raised questions about Ecuador’s international clout under his leadership—and by extension, about Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld’s effectiveness.
Comparing the Costs Over the Years
Noboa’s two inaugurations—alongside Lasso’s—rank among the most modestly funded in the past decade. But a look back reveals a pattern of shifting priorities, shaped by political context, economic pressure, and presidential ego.
In 2013, with no change of leadership, Correa orchestrated a $3.1 million celebration, the most expensive in recent memory. The 2017 transfer to Lenín Moreno reportedly cost around $2.1 million, with $900,000 dedicated solely to media coverage glorifying Correa’s outgoing administration. While the actual inauguration event’s cost wasn’t formally disclosed, documents later revealed an estimated $1.3 million for logistics, food, transportation, and ceremonies—including lavish receptions at Carondelet and the Itchimbía Cultural Center.
The trend reversed sharply in 2021, as COVID-19 forced scaled-down gatherings and virtual participation. That pragmatism has since become the norm—at least in budgetary terms. Still, the Foreign Ministry’s annual event budgets have varied widely: $880,000 in 2019, $700,000 in 2021 (which included the inauguration), and between $290,000 to $371,000 in subsequent years.
Symbolism in Simplicity
While Noboa’s team is unlikely to match Correa’s extravagance, the symbolism of the 2025 event still matters. Hosting prominent guests, showcasing Ecuador’s democratic continuity, and avoiding political missteps will be as critical as controlling spending.
The Foreign Ministry has contracted logistics, catering, and lodging services across three bids to support all diplomatic events in 2025. Whether the president’s inauguration swells beyond the average remains to be seen—but it is clear that the political optics of frugality and the ambition of diplomatic visibility are once again on a collision course.
As Noboa prepares to enter a full-term presidency, how he chooses to mark that moment—quietly or with fanfare—could set the tone for his administration’s domestic and international aspirations.
Well given you listed Donald Trump as the former US president instead of the current US president …he probably won’t come now!!