While the Assange case gave Ecuador a high profile, it also put the country in a delicate diplomatic position.
So far Ecuador has tried to negotiate safe conduct with the UK government so Mr Assange can leave the embassy without being arrested. But the UK insists it is legally obliged to extradite Mr Assange to Sweden.
"This is a complex case in which the reputations of many countries are at stake," said Michel Levi, a foreign policy analyst at Quito's Simon Bolivar Andina University.
"Such a case required a more experienced diplomatic representation that could co-ordinate the situation better."
Ms Alban was named ambassador to London in 2010, when the UK was seen as marginal for Ecuador's foreign relations.
Some US cables dating back to 2007, when President Rafael Correa took over and appointed Ms Alban as environment minister, suggest she was not an experienced political operator.
"Alban, who was appointed by previous President Alfred Palacio in 2005, was retained by President Correa. Although seemingly well-intentioned, she has been a weak and ineffectual minister under both Palacio and Correa," said a cable originating from the US embassy in Quito on 17 September 2007, external.
Ecuador's relations with Mr Assange have had ups and downs since his Wikileaks website first released US state department diplomatic cables in November 2010.
At the time, deputy Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas said Ecuador would grant him residency if needed. A few weeks later, Mr Patino and President Correa backtracked, saying Mr Lucas had spoken "on his own behalf".
The 75-minute interview, broadcast on Russia Today, an English-language TV channel funded by the Moscow government, was a bonding moment for Mr Assange and the Ecuadorean president, who praised Wikileaks and its work.
Mr Assange's arrival at the embassy was no surprise for those at the foreign affairs ministry who already knew of Mr Narvaez's negotiations with Mr Assange.
At the same time Mr Narvaez, who is seen with suspicion by career diplomats for his radical politics, hoped to find fertile terrain in Mr Patino's hard line in foreign affairs.
Last week Mr Patino announced the new ambassador would be Juan Falconi Puig, a lawyer criticised for his role in protecting private banks during the collapse of Ecuador's financial system in the late 1990s.
With both the UK and Ecuador holding fast to their positions, it is difficult to see how there could be a quick exit strategy for Mr Assange.
The answer may yet lie within the walls of the embassy in which the Wikileaks founder is currently confined.