In 2025, Ecuador‘s National Assembly will increase its number of legislators from 137 to 151. This is because the Constitution establishes that seats in the legislature are assigned according to population. Two assembly members per province and one more for every 200 thousand citizens.
According to the most recent census in 2022, nine provinces have increased their population, so they will have more legislative representatives:
· Azuay will go from five to six,
· Tungurahua from four to five, the same as Esmeraldas
· In Manabí there will no longer be 9 legislators, but 10
· Santa Elena goes from three to four
· In Morona Santiago there were two, now they will have three assembly members
· Orellana grew by the same number
The provinces that have increased the most are Pichincha, which now has three more legislators, going from 16 to 19, and Guayas, which has increased from 20 to 24 legislators.
Initially, it is planned that of the 14 new positions in the Assembly, seven will be in the eastern wing, where the Correísta group is currently located, and the other seven will be in the western wing, where the Construye group is located.
This means that they will prepare spaces for the new assembly members in the same buildings where the current parliamentarians work. Everything must be ready by May 14, 2025, when the new legislators begin their work.
Although there were ideas to reduce the number of assembly members, they were not approved in Congress. Former president Guillermo Lasso also proposed reducing legislators in the 2023 Popular Consultation, but the proposal did not obtain enough support.
By: Ecuador Live