Election Time

As we are moving forward to the end of our time in Ecuador, we plan on doing our best to keep the blog updated as much as possible. It seems that we have just as many logistical things on our horizon as we had when we moved here. We will need to ship our things back to the U.S. and to Saudi. We will need to sell our car, some of our furniture, and close out the year strong. We have a few favorite places we want to visit again before we leave, and a few that we have not visited yet. All the while, life goes on. Our jobs go on, and events throughout Ecuador are going on. Today, I am going to write about an important event in Ecuador that we aren’t directly involved with, but we are witnessing and experiencing from afar, the Ecuadorian Presidential Elections. As an outsider to the process, I will do my best to write with as much accuracy as possible from the perspective of someone witnessing this historical event from within the country, but without the emotional or political attachment of many of Ecuador’s citizens.

Ecuador conducts voting for the office of President every four years. Up until very recently, there were no term limits. That was changed last spring, and the new limit is two consecutive terms. The current President is Rafael Correa. He was elected in 2006 and has been re-elected twice, in 2009 and 2013. Voting is obligatory in Ecuador for all citizens living here for more than 5 years, and above the age of 18. It is voluntary for citizens between the age of 16-18, or above the age of 65. In order to win the election, the winning candidate must have received 40% or more of the popular vote, AND they must have at least 10% more than the second place vote getter. My understanding is there are usually between 7-8 candidates who run.  If a candidate does not achieve both of those requirements, there is a runoff election including only the top two candidates.

Prior to election day, for 48 hours, the “Ley Seca” (Dry Law) takes effect. The “Ley Seca” states that the sale of alcohol is illegal. It is also illegal to consume alcohol, or to be intoxicated in a public area. If you violate that, you will be put in prison. In addition, hosting a large party in your home that draws attention and/or drinking is also prohibited.

This is an especially important election due to the fact that there is no incumbent running. In the past two years, in Quito, there have been quite a few protests against specific decisions the current President has made. For many Ecuadorians, this election is going to frame their own economic and social experience for their immediate and long term future. Needless to say, tensions are high and so are the stakes.

Ecuador’s first round of elections took place on February 19th. The two favorites were Lenin Moreno and Guillermo Lasso. Moreno is the current Vice-President under Correa, and Lasso is a former banker and the opposition party. There are 8 total candidates and for lack of a better reference point, Moreno is the far left candidate and Lasso is the far right. The remaining candidates lie in the middle of the political spectrum. In a really interesting twist, the elections happened two weeks ago and Ecuador does not have a President yet.

Round One Results

The reason lies in the information I listed above. Lenin Moreno achieved the majority at 39.36%, with Lasso in second at 28.09%. Since Moreno did not get to 40%, there will be a runoff election on April 2 between those two candidates. Following the results of the first round, there were various protests around the city of Quito and the entire country. There are allegations of corruption and election tampering from both sides, but I don’t know enough about that to confirm it.
Either way, in a little less than a month, things are going to get very interesting here. I appreciate the enthusiastic energy surrounding the election and I sincerely hope that whatever happens, Ecuador has a bright future under its new leader, and the people are able to accept the results of the next round peacefully. Let’s hope for the best.