On Sunday, over 13 million Ecuadorians are set to participate in elections to choose a president, vice president, and 137 legislators amidst a backdrop of violence and insecurity across this South American country.
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As per the schedule outlined by the National Electoral Council (CNE), the electoral process will commence at 7:00 a.m. local time with the opening of 4,390 polling centers. The voting period will extend until 5:00 p.m.when the polling centers will close, and the vote counting will begin.
Eight candidates are vying for the presidency of Ecuador: Luisa Gonzalez (Citizen Revolution), Otto Sonnenholzner (Act Now), Jan Topic (For a Fearless Country), Daniel Noboa (National Democratic Action), Yaku Perez (Yes, We Can), Xavier Hervas (Total Renewal), Christian Zurita (Build Up), and Bolivar Armijos (Friend).
The newly elected authorities will hold their positions until May 2025, a date by which President Guillermo Lasso's administration would have concluded if he had not called for early elections.
The text reads, "A few hours before the presidential elections, there are three dead and several wounded due to a series of shootings in Esmeraldas, Ecuador."
Election day in Ecuador will unfold amidst the highest wave of insecurity, which claimed the life of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot while leaving a campaign event in Quito on August 9.
As a result, Lasso declared a new state of emergency and deployed around 100,000 police and military personnel to the streets and polling centers. However, despite these measures, new incidents of violence cast doubt on the tranquility of the electoral process.
On Sunday morning, citizens reported gunfire in the southern and central areas of Esmeraldas, the capital city of the province of Esmeraldas bordering Colombia.
Local media outlet The Streee Speaks (La Calle Habla) reported explosions in areas close to the refinery and the March 15th and Florida neighborhoods. Unofficially, it was reported that three citizens were killed and around seven people were wounded.