The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, and his wife, the first lady Lavinia Valbonesi, are going through a painful family moment following the death of Stefano Noboa Valbonesi, the son they were expecting, after a complication during the pregnancy that necessitated Valbonesi undergoing an emergency procedure on Saturday.
The news was officially confirmed by Nataly Morillo, the Minister of Government of Ecuador, who publicly announced the death and extended her condolences to the presidential family.
"With deep sorrow, I inform the nation that the presidential family is experiencing the painful loss of their third child, Stefano Noboa Valbonesi. The First Lady, Lavinia Valbonesi, underwent an emergency procedure due to a complication during her pregnancy. Unfortunately, Stefano has passed away," Morillo stated on his X account.
As an expression of institutional mourning, the minister announced that the flag at the Carondelet Palace, the seat of the Ecuadorian Executive, will be flown at half-mast for three days.
The gesture extended beyond the country. The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry ordered that the flags at the embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions of Ecuador abroad also be flown at half-mast in memory of the president's son and the first lady.
Condolences from various countries
The news prompted numerous expressions of solidarity towards Noboa and Valbonesi, both within Ecuador and from other countries in the region.
The Vice President of Colombia, José Manuel Restrepo Abondano, expressed his condolences on X to the presidential couple. "To them and to their entire family, I send a supportive hug on behalf of Colombia and my family in this moment of immense sorrow," he wrote.
The president of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández Delgado, also sent a message of support: "Costa Rica embraces you with respect and solidarity."
From Paraguay, President Santiago Peña and First Lady Leticia Ocampos expressed "the deepest sorrow" and described the loss as a moment of "immeasurable pain" for the family.
The condolences included a message from the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, who expressed his solidarity with Noboa and Valbonesi for "the loss of their newborn son Stefano" and requested that God accompany them during these difficult circumstances.
Former Colombian President Iván Duque stated that he, his wife María Juliana Ruiz, and their children were accompanying the Ecuadorian presidential family "with prayers and affection," wishing them strength to endure their grief.
The Ecuadorian Church stands in solidarity with the family
The Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference also issued a message of condolences expressing their support for the president and the first lady.
The bishops asked God to "welcome the soul of this little one into His mercy and grant his parents and all his family the comfort that only faith can offer in such profound sadness."
The Church also extended its message to all Ecuadorian families who have experienced the loss of a child, thus broadening the gesture of solidarity beyond the presidential family.
Noboa y Valbonesi have two children, Álvaro, born in 2022, and Furio, born in 2024. The Ecuadorian president is also the father of Luisa Fernanda, from a previous relationship.
The loss occurred just a week after the couple made a public appearance during Abelardo de la Espriella's inauguration as president of Colombia, held on August 7 in Cali.
Despite the family mourning, Noboa arrived in Beijing this Sunday to begin an official tour of Asia that had been scheduled in advance and includes visits to China, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The agenda includes a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, focused on strengthening trade relations and investments between Ecuador and China.
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