Ecuador - 20 August 2023 Election
Ecuador is a constitutional, multiparty republic with an elected president and unicameral legislature. In 2017 voters elected President Lenin Moreno from the ruling party Alianza PAIS (Proud and Sovereign Fatherland) and chose members of the National Assembly in elections that were generally free and fair.
Significant human rights issues included: reports of torture and abuse by police officers and prison guards; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; the existence of criminal libel laws; serious acts of corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for violence against women and children; and the use of child labor. The government took steps to investigate and prosecute officials who committed human rights abuses.
Human rights organizations reported excessive force by security forces who were likely responsible for several of the 11 deaths reported by the comptroller during the October 2019 violent protests against the government’s economic reforms. Ministry of Government officials indicated that only eight deaths were linked to demonstrations, and they argued that the causes of death were either due to force majeure actions of police attempting to control violent crowds or accidents that did not result from direct police action.
Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening due to gang violence, official corruption, food shortages, gross overcrowding, harassment by security guards against prisoners and visitors, physical and sexual abuse, and inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care.
The constitution provides for freedom of expression, including for the press, but other laws restrict this right. Experts cautioned that restrictive provisions to journalistic work found in a 2013 communication law, reformed in February 2019, remained in effect, including Article 5, which characterizes media and communications as a public service, not a right, and a provision requiring all journalists to hold university degrees. Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views, including those critical of the government.
The October 2019 violent antigovernment protests led to a resurgence in stigmatization and hateful speech against journalists and media last experienced during former president Correa’s administration. This speech was broadly attributed to the protesters and their supporters, rather than to the Moreno government. Phrases such as “corrupt press” and “sold-out press” were frequently replicated across broad sectors and on social media during and after the October 2019 protests.
The law provides citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage. A 2018 national referendum restored term limits for all elected positions, including the presidency, which had been eliminated through a 2015 constitutional amendment.
In nationwide elections held in March 2019, citizens elected individuals for municipal, provincial, and parochial offices. Citizens also elected seven members for the permanent Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control for the first time. International observers from the Organization of American States, Inter-American Union of Electoral Organisms, and accredited diplomatic missions concluded the electoral process was orderly and peaceful, and they did not note any significant incidents.
On 07 February 2022 the Ecuadorian National Electoral Council (CNE), after approving the calendar and dates, announced that the mid-term elections were scheduled for February 2023. These elections were aimed to select prefects, vice-prefects, mayors, councilors, members of parish councils, and the seven members of the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control. Following the announcement of the beginning of the new electoral period, the plan drawn up by the entity started to run, comprising many activities for the current year and closing with the swear-in ceremony of the selected dignitaries.
During the plenary session, the councilors defined the changing of electoral domicile and registration of foreigners in the electoral roll; they also agreed to take from April 4 to May 14, 2022, to close the territorial electoral organization. The registry closing for political organizations was expected to be held on May 23, and the electoral roll will be sealed from July 14 to 21. August 21 was the date established for the official national call for the elections aimed to register candidates, among other tasks of the organization.
The electoral campaign will begin from January 2023, and during the month, there were two voting simulations to be held and debates. The voting will be open in February 2023. The sworn-in ceremony for the resultant elected authorities was scheduled for May 14, 2023.
Ecuador’s congress tried to impeach Lasso in June 2022, at a time of violent protests against the rising cost of living, but came up 12 votes short. Lasso survived an attempt by opposition lawmakers to oust him on Tuesday after he insisted his government will not negotiate further with an indigenous leader to end more than two weeks of protests. Largely indigenous demonstrators have been marching to protest against high fuel and food prices since June 13 and at least eight people have died in connection with the marches, including a soldier. The protests had been linked to eight deaths and have led to food and medicine shortages and slashed oil output. Protesters' road blockades have led to shortages of food in supermarkets and medical supplies in hospitals. Lasso's adversarial relationship with Ecuador's national assembly has worsened during the protests, prompting lawmakers from the opposition UNES movement, loyal to former leftist President Rafael Correa, to push a vote seeking his removal from office.
The majority left-wing opposition then accused Lasso of knowing about alleged corruption in state owned companies, in which his brother-in-law Danilo Carrera and a businessman accused of drug trafficking have been implicated. Lasso was accused of the alleged crime of embezzlement in the management of the state-owned shipping company Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana (Flopec). Congress requires 92 out of 137 votes to dismiss Lasso.
Weathering new impeachment proceedings in congress over alleged corruption, Lasso issued a decree 17 May 2023 dissolving the legislature. The decree released abruptly by the unpopular conservative president’s office stated that Lasso was dissolving the opposition-led National Assembly “due to a grave political crisis and national commotion.” In dissolving congress, Lasso also called upon the National Electoral Council (CNE) to call new elections. It was the first time a president in Ecuador has dissolved the legislature.
Ecuadorian Armed Forces made a statement on the decision taken by President Guillermo Lasso related to the dissolution of the Legislative branch. The Armed Forces "maintain and will maintain their position of absolute respect for the constitution and the laws," Joint Command Head Nelson Proaño, said. " I wish to remind Ecuadorians that the Armed Forces and the National Police are obedient and non-deliberative institutions and we fulfill our mission strictly abiding by the constitution," he added. Proaño warned that "the country will not accept any attempt to alter the constitutional order through violence aimed at attacking democracy. If that happens, the Armed Forces and the National Police will act firmly."
Within seven days of the publication of this decree, the CNE must convene new presidential and legislative elections to finish out the current term. Until a new National Assembly was sworn in, Lasso was able to rule by decree, with checks by the constitutional court. A similar political drama played out in late 2022 in neighboring Peru. Then president Pedro Castillo, also facing corruption allegations, tried to dissolve congress in December so he could rule by decree. He was arrested the same day and was in prison awaiting trial on charges of rebellion.
President Lasso, who dissolved the country’s National Assembly amid an impeachment process against him, announced 02 June 2023 that he will not run in early elections set for August. Lasso said that he will not participate in the August 20 vote, and called on various political parties to unite in defence of democracy. “I want to be clear I will not accept the nomination as a candidate for president for the next elections on August 20,” Lasso told reporters and members of his cabinet at the presidential palace. Lasso swore he would devote the remaining 6 months of his administration to "work twice as hard" as he has done up to now.
On the side of openly conservative political positions, four candidates seek to reach the Presidency of the Republic. One of them is Fernando Villavicencio, who acted as an important political ally of Lasso from the National Assembly, which is currently dissolved. The unexpected candidate who appears as an apolitical "outsider" is Jan Topic. This security entrepreneur and economist presents himself as a sniper who fought in "multiple countries around the world," among which he mentioned Ukraine and Syria.
A third candidate is Otto Sonnenholzner, who served as Vice President from December 2018 to July 2020, that is, during President Lenin Moreno's administration (2017-2021). At the height of the pandemic, he resigned amid corruption scandals and accusations of inefficient management, evidenced by scenes of corpses on the streets of Guayaquil. Finally, Daniel Noboa also announced his interest in becoming president. He is the son of Alvaro Noboa, a billionaire banana businessman who unsuccessfully tried to become president on more than 3 occasions during the last decades.
The Expanded Council of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) nominated Leonidas Iza as its presidential candidate. He led the massive protests that put President Guillermo Lasso in check in 2022. Initially his candidacy had not been endorsed by the Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement, which traditionally acted as the CONAIE's electoral organization. Previously, Yaku Perez, who received the support of the CONAIE and Pachakutik in the 2021 elections, also launched his candidacy under the auspices of "We are Water," "Democracy Yes," and Popular Unity, three organizations that define themselves as "progressive."
- Luisa Gonzalez: The Citizen Revolution Movement, a party founded by former leftist President Rafael Correa, nominated Gonzalez as its presidential candidate. A lawyer, Gonzalez held several positions in the Correa government, including as secretary of public administration in 2017. She was recently a federal lawmaker for the province of Manabi. If elected, she has said she will call a constituent assembly to rewrite Ecuador’s constitution.
- Jan Topic: Chosen by the conservative Social Christian Party (PSC), which joined in impeachment proceedings against Lasso, Topic has touted his military experience. The soldier-turned-businessman has said he is uniquely situated to address spiking gang violence in the country of about 17 million.
- Yaku Perez: The Indigenous leader will represent a political coalition in his second run for the presidency. Perez saw a surprise surge of support during the first round of the 2021 presidential election, after running on a platform to fight oil and mining activities in the country. He came in third after Lasso and Andres Arauz.
- Otto Sonnenholzner: Former vice president to Lenín Moreno, Sonnenholzner stepped down amid a raft of administration resignations in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged Ecuadorean cities. Nevertheless, his national profile grew as he worked to deliver supplies to hard-hit areas and revive the country’s economy.
- Xavier Hervas: The businessman ran for president in 2021, coming in fourth in the first round, despite having little in the way of a national profile before the vote. He is supported by the centre-right RITO movement.
- Fernando Villavicencio: Journalist and political activist Villavicencio has long been a critic of the country’s national oil company. He has accused the administration of former President Correa of targeting him for his criticism as he faced a series of charges related to his public statements. He at times hid among Indigenous groups in the jungle and briefly sought asylum in Peru before the charges against him were dropped. Villavicencio then served in the National Assembly, from 2017 until it was dissolved by Lasso.
- Bolívar Armijos: Armijos is a lawyer and former head of a council of local governments.
- Daniel Noboa: A businessman, Noboa is the son of magnate Álvaro Noboa, who sought the presidency five times. The younger Noboa, meanwhile, served in the National Assembly for the United Ecuadorian political movement from 2021 until the legislature was dissolved this year.
Lasso declared a two-month state of emergency early Thursday following the assassination, but said general elections slated for August 20 would be held as scheduled. According to the latest polls, Villavicencio, a former journalist who wrote about corruption and served in parliament, polled at 13 percent, behind lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, who is close to former left-wing president Rafael Correa. Gonzalez and other presidential candidates denounced the murder and said they were suspending their campaigns.
As a journalist, Villavicencio uncovered a corruption scheme for which former president Correa (2007-2017) was sentenced to eight years in prison. Villavicencio later served as president of the legislative oversight commission, where he continued to denounce corruption. The politician had complained this month that he and his team were receiving threats allegedly coming from the leader of a criminal gang linked to drug trafficking.
Andrea Gonzalez, the ex-running mate of assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, ran for president in his place in the 20 August 2023 elections, their party said. Her work has been focused on environmental advocacy, particularly concerning oceans and mangroves, as well as combatting wildlife trafficking and deforestation.
If none of the presidential candidates achieve the majority of votes on August 20, the electoral authorities will call a second round on October 15, when the two candidates with the most votes will compete for the presidency. The new legislators, the president, and the vice president will remain in their positions until May 24, 2025.
The SNAI prisons authority announced 07 October 2023 that "an event occurred" in the Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil "resulting in six dead people." It later clarified the deceased were "of Colombian nationality and accused of the murder of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio." Prison riots are common in Ecuador where rival drug-trafficking gangs are also known to smuggle in weapons into prison. In July, a riot in the Guayas 1 prison left more than 30 people dead.
The war on drugs in other South American nations displaced drug cartels to Ecuador, which has large Pacific ports with laxer controls, widespread corruption, and a dollarized economy. The prisons crisis has become a key point of debate ahead of the second round election on October 15, between leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez and 35-year-old upstart Daniel Noboa. Noboa proposed leasing ships to hold the country's most violent prisoners offshore.
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