Ecuador Update: Security is Reinforced in Electoral Precincts

On Sunday, some 13.4 million Ecuadorians are summoned to choose 23 provincial prefects, 221 mayors, 864 urban councilors, 443 rural councilors, and 4,109 parish council members. 

Citizens will also elect 7 members of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS) and will participate in an eight-question referendum, which seeks to modify the Constitution in matters related to security, control institutions, and environmental governance. The facts are presented below as they happen.

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12:30 pm. National Police reinforce security in electoral precincts. During a press conference on Sunday, Gen. Cesar Zapata indicated that the police increased the presence of officers in 162 voting precincts located in the city of Guayaquil and in the coastal provinces of Guayas, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Los Ríos, Santa Elena, and Santo Domingo.

This happened as a result of the petition made by various candidates who reacted with fear to the assassination of Omar Menendez, the Citizen Revolution candidate for mayor of Puerto Lopez. Zapata also announced that the police will provide security to the candidates who request it until the end of the electoral process.

10:45 a.m. "Democracy allows us to say NO to violence," Pichincha Prefect Pabon says. The Citizen Revolution candidate Paola Pabon, who aspires to be re-elected as Pichincha prefect, voted at the Fernando Salvador school, located in Villa Flora, a popular neighborhood in Quito.

Similar to thousands of citizens, she expressed her resounding rejection of the political violence that armed gangs are exercising against progressive candidates.

“I am deeply moved by the violent events in other provinces. We are very saddened by the loss of some comrades. We don't want such a country and democracy allows us to say NO to violence,” Pabon told reporters regarding the assassination of candidate Omar Menendez.

"We have never experienced a wave of violence in an electoral process. This shows that we are facing a very difficult moment as a country. I believe that it is time for proposals to face the serious difficulties that the country is going through," she added.

10:21 a.m. Citizen Revolution candidate Muñoz votes in Quito. After casting his vote, sociologist Pabel Muñoz, candidate for mayor of Quito, spoke briefly to the press about the murder of Omar Menendez, the candidate for mayor in Puerto Lopez.

"Ecuador has to stop this bleeding. We cannot become that type of country where it is common for candidates to be attacked and disrespected... My condolences to Menendez, his loved ones, and to our political organization."

Despite what happened on Saturday night, Muñoz will not request police protection. His statements occurred in the midst of a crowd of people who accompanied him.

10:00 a.m. Attack in Puerto Lopez left two dead and two injured. On Sunday, National Police Commander Fausto Salinas confirmed that the attack occurred in Puerto Lopez on Saturday night not only left candidate Omar Menendez as a fatality, but also another person. He also mentioned that there are two wounded.

Salinas reported that the candidate was at his home accompanied by other people when a group of armed men arrived at the site, beat the guard, and shot those who were there.

The tweet reads, "Did anyone ever imagine that Ecuador's security was going to be destroyed at this level because of the inability of Moreno and Lasso? This is a candidate, who survived an attack, going to vote in Manabi. Ecuador bleeds out! Say NO to Lasso!"

8:00 a.m. Ecuadorian voting in Spain proceeds normally. The Ecuadorian ambassador to Spain Andres Vallejo indicated that Ecuadorians began to vote in Madrid early in the morning.

Consul Paula Noboa pointed out that around 66,000 citizens will be able to exercise their right to vote in Madrid until 12:00 local time. Some 178,700 Ecuadorians will vote in 19 electoral precincts located in various Spanish towns.

Over 409,000 Ecuadorians abroad are called to vote this Sunday. Some 275,000 of them are in Europe, Asia, and Oceania.