08-07-2025
Young lawmaker, 19, sparks fury over video of his highly-inappropriate behavior on chamber floor
The youngest member of Ecuador's Congress could face disciplinary action after he was recorded drawing during the middle of a speech.
The bizarre footage showed Dominique Serrano with his head down and fully concentrated on a sheet of paper while the Commission on Transparency, Citizen Participation and Social Control was holding a session on July 2.
The 19-year-old assemblyman appeared to have already completed a sketch of an image that resembled an anime figure as he began to start of his second piece of art.
The National Democratic Action legislator continued for over a minute while the former general manager of a public electricity company sat directly across from him and explained why he had resigned from his post.
Serrano's behavior was questioned by his party chief, Valentina Centeno, who requested an investigation from the National Assembly's Legislative Administration Council.
'The fact that an assembly member engages in drawing during a committee session demonstrates a lack of professionalism that damages the institutional image of the National Assembly,' Centeno said, as quoted by Ecuadorian news outlet Primicias.
The inquiry was approved by Legislative Administration Council on Friday.
Serrano was given until Monday to present his defense while Centeno was allotted the same time to provide proof to back up her claims.
Serrano won the seat to represent the south-central district of Pichincha during the general elections in February. He was sworn in in May.
Social media users questioned whether a person as young as Serrano should have been eligible to hold public office and asked that he be removed.
'There should be an age limit for assembly members! 35 years old!' one person commented.
'It's forgiven in school and university, but not in a public office where you're paid $5,000 a month. The best lesson you can teach is to remove him from the assembly,' another opined.
Despite calls for his outer, others were supportive of the young politician.
'Ignorance!! There are people who listen that way,' they said. 'Nothing to complain about.'
'It's a way to focus. I've seen super-smart, proactive people do this even in important meetings,' another said.
Serrano is the son of Paulina Molina, who is an adviser for Eckenner Recalde, the vice president of the National Assembly. Serrano's brother Jeremy is employed in the parliament and earns a monthly salary of $700.
Molina's sister, Maria del Cisne Molina, is also an assemblywoman in Pichincha.
While National Assembly president Niels Olsen did not admonished Serrano's behavior, he called on the Legislative Administration Council to reform its laws and banned the hiring of any person related to assembly members and public officials.
'No relatives may be hired in any office or department of the National Assembly. This long-standing practice ends today,' he wrote on X.
'In line with this measure, I have requested the resignation of more than 40 officials who are related to each other or to elected assembly members.'
