Ecuadorians Concerned About Deficiencies in Online Vote Abroad

Throughout Sunday morning, hundreds of Ecuadorian migrants have been denouncing that the online voting systems were not working properly.

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This happened in countries such as Canada, Belgium, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain, where citizens have been trying to vote for hours without being able to do so.

Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa warned about this issue, which has been also reported by international media. It is feared that failures in electronic voting abroad will prevent at least 100,000 citizens from voting in a timely manner.

Sevaral groups of Ecuadorian migrans have posted videos to denounce the violation of their political rights and the risk of electoral fraud.

The text reads, "Problems with online voting abroad continue. Ecuadorian migrants in several countries demand that the National Electoral Council solve the problems of the system in order to exercise their right to vote."

This possibility is highly worrying given that the voting intention polls published during the last week point to the leftist presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez as the winner of the elections.

“They are stealing our right to vote and our democracy. This is not only happening here in Barcelona but in other countries as well,” an outraged Ecuadorian woman told the cameras of Ecuador en Directo.

“I can't exercise my right to vote! I've been trying for hours. No gentlemen of the National Electoral Council. Telematic voting is not working smoothly," former Foreign Affairs Minister Guillaume Long said.

"Can you imagine how many people are going to get tired of waiting 2 or 3 hours? How many voters will give up? This is called voter suppression,” he stressed.

Luisa Gonzalez's text reads, "Dear Ecuador, let's vote with faith that better days with security and well-being are coming very soon. Today, we will make history! It is the resurgence of the homeland."

At approximately 10:00 a.m. local time, the CNE ruled on the problems in online voting abroad, asking citizens to understand the problems experienced.

“Due to the high demand for voters, we urge compatriots to be patient while the information is processed,” the electoral authorities said.

On Sunday, over 13 million Ecuadorians are set to take part in elections to choose a president, vice president, and lawmakers. This happens amid a wave of gang-related violence across this South American country.

Eight candidates are vying for the presidency: Luisa Gonzalez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Jan Topic, Daniel Noboa, Yaku Perez, Xavier Hervas, Christian Zurita, and Bolivar Armijos. The newly elected authorities will hold their positions until May 2025.

After exercising her right to vote, Gonzalez, the Citizen Revolution presidential candidate, emphatically requested the CNE authorities to correct the problems of online voting abroad.