2023-08-20 18:14:39
A man votes at a polling station in Quito during the Ecuadorian presidential election and the referendum on mining and oil, on August 20, 2023. – Ecuador is holding presidential elections after a campaign marked by the assassination of one of the main candidates and promises address the lawlessness that has engulfed the once peaceful nation. Along with the presidential vote, two key referendums are taking place in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. One will ask voters to choose whether to continue oil drilling in the Amazon, and another will focus on banning mining activities in the Chocó Andino forest. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP)
By Santiago PIEDRA SILVA
Amid tight security, Ecuadorians went to the polls on Sunday in a presidential election marred by the assassination of a leading candidate, as the once-peaceful nation suffers from violence fueled by the illicit drug trade. Worldwide.
The campaign assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio just 11 days before the vote traumatized the country and reshuffled the electoral cards, with none of the eight candidates expected to win an absolute majority, likely forcing a second round on October 15th.
“The most serious problem is insecurity,” voter Eva Hurtado, 40, said as she left a polling station north of the capital Quito on Sunday morning. “So many crimes, murders, disappearances. We are afraid”.
The polls opened at 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT) and voting lasted until 17:00. Soldiers in bulletproof vests were deployed across the country to safeguard the process, and presidential candidates wore helmets and bulletproof vests.
Ecuadorians were choosing a successor to conservative leader Guillermo Lasso, who called early elections to avoid impeachment just two years after coming to power.
“Ecuador is approaching this election day in a difficult situation, but at the same time full of hope,” Lasso said when opening the polls.
He called on Ecuadorians to “stop the advance of authoritarian projects that endanger the stability of the country.”
– Brutal gang warfare –
Long an island of stability in Latin America, in recent years Ecuador has become a playground for foreign drug mafia seeking to export cocaine, sparking a brutal war between local gangs.
“Ecuadorians are going to vote with three feelings: fear of insecurity… pessimism about the economic situation and mistrust in the political class,” political scientist Santiago Cahuasqui, from the SEK International University, told AFP.
Voter Luis Laguas, who was waiting to cast his ballot on the outskirts of Quito, agreed.
“Unfortunately, this government has not had the intelligence to handle death, crime,” he said. “It takes a strong hand.”
In 2022, the country reached a record of 26 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, a rate higher than that of Colombia, Mexico or Brazil.
– ‘Threats won’t stop us’ –
Lasso dissolved Congress in May to avoid impeachment amid a corruption trial.
Leading the polls before Villavicencio’s assassination was Luisa González, 45, a lawyer for former President Rafael Correa’s left-wing party.
However, observers say the murder may have shaken the race.
Villavicencio, who ranked second in the polls before his assassination, was replaced at the last minute by another journalist, Christian Zurita.
“I am going to do everything possible to honor your word, your conscience, your thinking, your ethics, your moral stature,” Zurita, 53, said of his murdered colleague during a recent interview with AFP.
Hours before the vote, Zurita said he was receiving death threats on social media.
“The threats against my life and that of my team will not stop us, but they are forcing us to take greater security protocols,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding that his party had alerted the authorities and electoral observers.
Political analysts say the candidate who has seen the biggest boost in popularity is right-wing businessman Jan Topic, 40.
Nicknamed “Rambo,” the former French Foreign Legion paratrooper and sniper has vowed to crack down on criminal gangs and build more prisons, emulating El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
Other prominent candidates are right-wing former vice president Otto Sonnenholzner and left-wing indigenous lawyer Yaku Perez.
In one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, two key referendums will take place alongside elections on Sunday.
One will ask voters to choose whether to continue oil drilling in the Amazon, and another will focus on banning mining activities in the Chocó Andino forest.
To win in the first round, a candidate must capture 40 percent of the vote or be 10 points ahead of their closest competitor. A possible tiebreaker is scheduled for October 15.
The new president will take office on October 26 and will serve only the remainder of Lasso’s term, a year and a half.
Voters will also choose members of the 137-seat parliament.
Initial results are expected to be released late on Sunday, with a final tally expected in 10 days.
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© Agencia France-Presse
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