Presidential elections will be held in Ecuador on Sunday at a tumultuous moment for the country. President Guillermo Lasso called snap elections in May amid impeachment proceedings against him over accusations of embezzlement. This month, the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated on the campaign trail.
All this has unfolded as foreign drug mafias have joined forces with local prison and street gangs to unleash a wave of violence unlike anything in the country’s recent history, sending homicide rates to record levels and making security the leading issue for most voters.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming vote.
Why are there early elections?
Mr. Lasso disbanded the country’s opposition-led legislature in May, using, for the first time, a constitutional measure that allows the president to rule by decree until new presidential and congressional elections can be held. The impeachment proceedings were permanently halted once Mr. Lasso dissolved congress.
The move came amid a moment of extraordinary political turbulence for Ecuador, a country of 18 million on South America’s western edge. But it provided temporary stability by allowing the president to bypass the deadlocked legislature and appease voters hungry for new leadership and action against the rise in street crime and drug and gang violence.
Candidates can win outright by taking 50 percent of the total vote or 40 percent along with a 10 percentage point lead over the runner-up. Failing that, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff election on Oct. 15.
The new president will hold office until May 2025.
The votes will be cast and counted using blockchain technology to avoid voter fraud, according to the Ecuadorean electoral council, a first in Latin America.
Who is Fernando Villavicencio and why was he assassinated?
The campaign for Sunday’s elections was convulsed on Aug. 9, when Mr. Villavicencio was fatally shot at a campaign event. Six Colombians have been arrested in connection with the brazen killing, but it remains unclear who, if anyone, hired them.
Mr. Villavicencio was a legislator, former investigative journalist and anti-corruption activist. While he was not a top contender, polling near the middle of an eight-person race, he had a long history in Ecuadorean public affairs, largely as an antagonist to those in power.
He played a crucial role in exposing a bribery scandal that eventually led to the conviction of a former president, Rafael Correa. Some of his work led to death threats.
He had been outspoken about the link between organized crime and the political establishment, which earned him enemies. The attack in broad daylight was a traumatizing event for an election that has been dominated by concerns over drug-related violence.
Who are the main candidates?
The candidate leading in the polls is Luisa González, backed by the powerful party of the former president, Mr. Correa, who governed from 2007 to 2017. During his presidency, a…
2023-08-20 02:00:36
Link from www.nytimes.com
rnrn