15/07/2026
Diana Coloma has officially registered her pre-candidacy for Mayor of Santo Domingo, and her story is one of the most remarkable in Ecuadorian politics right now.
Ten years ago, Coloma was a beauty queen, model, and law student when a car left her permanently b1ind. In the aftermath she went through a deep d€pression and, by her own account, hit the darkest point of her life. What pulled her through was her family and psychological support, and a decision that her dis@bility would not define her limits.
She finished her law degree. In 2017 she ran for the National Assembly and lost. Two years later she ran for city council in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and won, becoming the first non-sighted person ever elected to public office in Ecuador. As councilor, she made accessibility her signature issue: she got the municipal building's elevator opened to the public instead of officials only, pushed for wheelchair ramps and accessible payment counters, and brought sign language interpreters into council sessions.
She has also been open about the practical realities of her daily life as a blind public figure, from how she picks her outfits to how her team quietly guides her at events so she knows where to look for cameras and crowds. That transparency has made her a relatable figure well beyond dis@bility advocacy circles.
Now, after time with Democracia Sí and later Pachakutik, she has aligned with the Christian Social Party to make a run for the mayor's office itself. In a recent radio interview she openly questioned how the current administration has been managing the municipal budget, signaling that fiscal accountability will be part of her campaign alongside her long-standing focus on inclusion and accessibility.
She is a mother of two. Her son, still a toddler, has never known his mother any other way, and reaches for her hand when he wants to show her something, guiding her the way she has spent a career guiding her city toward becoming more accessible.
