Azuay Has 14 Judge Vacancies. Temporary Coverage Is Being Considered.

Azuay has a deficit of 14 judges, according to a report published by El Mercurio on August 17. The shortage is increasing workloads in the courts and making it harder to handle cases on time.

Fernando Moreno, president of the Provincial Court of Justice, said the vacancies will be covered temporarily. The measure follows the declaration of an emergency in the Judicial Function while a competitive process is prepared to appoint permanent judges.

How the temporary plan would work

The provisional approach under discussion has two parts. Secretaries could be temporarily promoted to take charge of courtrooms in the cantons, and canton-level judges could be transferred to Cuenca.

That could keep courtrooms operating while the permanent process is prepared, but it does not eliminate the underlying shortage. Moreno said the temporary measures would address the immediate absence of judges without resolving the province's structural deficit.

The permanent competition also has a financial condition. El Mercurio reports that the process depends on the allocation and transfer of budget resources from the central government.

Why the distinction matters

The story is about judicial capacity, not a new rule that changes the rights or obligations of every resident. It does, however, describe a system operating with a measurable staffing gap and a temporary response.

Moreno put the distinction plainly: "Los jueces temporales no van a solucionar el problema. Los jueces estables, es decir, los nombrados mediante concursos de oposición y méritos, resolverán los problemas de la administración de Justicia."

What this means for Cuenca expats

Foreign residents with a court matter, a filing, or a legal deadline should not assume that a temporary appointment means the permanent staffing problem has been solved. The source does not give a schedule for the permanent competition or a breakdown of the 14 vacancies by court.

The useful items to watch are the announcement of the permanent competition, the budget transfer needed for it, and any official notice about which secretaries or canton judges are being assigned. For a personal legal matter, the facts of the case and current court instructions matter more than a general news summary.

Source: El Mercurio