Ecuadorians are called to the polls this Sunday to vote in a battery of ballots that will have as its main focus a referendum promoted by the government of Guillermo Lasso on constitutional amendments and that will serve, in part, to measure the popularity of an Executive that has seen its image worsen in recent months.
This Sunday, Ecuador is called to elect 5,600 positions at local level, where the ruling party will compete with candidates loyal to former president Rafael Correa, who continues to be a popular figure in the South American country despite residing outside the country and having several open cases. The Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS) will also be renewed.
However, one of the main points of interest will revolve around a battery of eight questions that the Government wants to submit to citizen consultation and which include some of the thorny issues of current Ecuadorian politics, divided into three blocks: promotion of security, strengthening of democracy and protection of the environment.
Polls published in the last weeks anticipate a majority support in favor of the ‘yes’ in all questions, among which are included issues related to the extradition of Ecuadorians to other countries, the extension of the powers of the Attorney General’s Office, the reduction of the number of legislators or the protection of water sources.
Technically, the opposition-dominated National Assembly does not have to implement the results of the referendum. Part of the opposition, in fact, attributes this consultation to alleged efforts by Lasso to try to regain lost political momentum at a time when his government is a recurrent focus of criticism for worsening economic data or increasing insecurity.
Be that as it may, the president has decreed to «suspend the regular working day» on Monday, as requested by the National Electoral Council (CNE), in order to facilitate the recount of the previous day’s voting day and the adequacy of the facilities used in such appointment. Authorities estimate that more than 4,000 educational centers are needed.
In the public sector, workers will be given «one additional hour during the following eight working days» to make up for the lost working day, while in the private sector the system will be established «by mutual agreement between employers and workers», according to the decree.
The hours prior to the voting have been overshadowed by the shooting to death of Omar Menendez, candidate of the Citizen Revolution Movement Party (RC) for the mayoralty of Puerto Lopez, as confirmed by the political party itself.
«Our comrade Omar Menéndez, candidate for mayor of Puerto López, has been assassinated this Saturday night, February 4, 2023,» the party shared in a message via Twitter.
According to the Ecuadorian media ‘El Universo’, preliminary information indicates that Menendez has been the victim of a deadly attack by a firearm that has taken place in the commercial area of the Manabi city.
VOTING IN SPAIN Ecuadorians abroad are not allowed to vote for local elections, but they are allowed to vote for the referendum and the election of members of the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control, which promotes social participation in the control of matters of public interest. In Spain alone, more than 179,000 Ecuadorian citizens are entitled to participate, according to data provided by the Embassy.
The polling stations will open from 9.00 to 19.00 (peninsular time in Spain), distributed in about twenty localities. Madrid accumulates more than a third part of the Ecuadorians with right to vote, with more than 66.000, while to the city of Barcelona correspond almost 35.000 and to the city of Murcia more than 21.000.
In order to prepare this process, the electoral roll abroad as of May 14, 2022 has been taken into account. Those who wish to participate must present their Ecuadorian identity card or passport, essential to exercise the right of suffrage, as recalled by the Embassy of Ecuador in Spain in a statement.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
