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The use of American dollars as the national currency and its implications as well as the vaccination against the coronavirus marked the discussion.
The two final hopefuls for the April 11th runoff, Andrés Arauz and Guillermo Lasso had their first and only debate this Sunday and focused on economic issues and the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Organized by the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Ecuador, the debate lasted an hour and a half. The use of American dollars as the national currency and its implications as well as the vaccination against the coronavirus marked the discussion.
The candidate for the leftist Union of Hope, the economist Andrés Arauz, insisted that his government would keep the US dollar as the national currency in Ecuador.
“We know that it is the best for the country. And we will move the country forward with dollarization, we will keep it because we know how to do it", said Arauz.
When referring to healthcare, Arauz said that his management will be directed to promote a preventive health system.
“We will foresee the problems derived from the pandemic. Preventive health will be our priority ”, added Arauz.
Meanwhile, Guillermo Lasso, from the Christian Social Party, said that in the first 100 days of his government he will secure the vaccination of 9 million Ecuadoreans.
"We will achieve it, we will do it with real resources to reach 9 million Ecuadoreans, so that they can go back to their jobs and their businesses," said Lasso.
The campaign began officially on March 16, although neither candidate has stopped campaigning since the first round of elections was held on Feb 2nd, 2021.
Until now, both candidates have focused on social media, which have been the main stage of political debate and have taken a central role in defining Ecuador's next president.
Pre-election silence will come into effect on April 8, only three days before the runoff, in which over 13 million Ecuadoreans will be able to vote.
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