Polls Close and Counting Begins in Ecuador’s Elections

According to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE), the election day, which began at 07:00 local time, went smoothly with the presence of the National Police and the Joint Command of the Armed Forces in all electoral precincts.

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Of the 13 450 047 Ecuadorians called to participate in the elections throughout the country, ... cast their vote to elect 5 697 local government authorities.

Voters will elect 23 provincial prefects (Governors), 221 mayors, 864 urban councilors, 443 rural councilors, 4 109 parish councilors and 7 CPCCS councilors.

They also had to answer the eight questions of the referendum promoted by the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso, on environment, institutionalism and extradition of drug traffickers. Several social sectors, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), have firmly rejected Lasso's proposals to amend the Constitution on different issues.

The electoral body will officially proclaim the results of the Elections 2023 once the scrutiny is concluded. We call on political organizations, media and authorized companies to comply with the law.

The National Electoral Council said that the first election results could be known an hour and a half after the closing of the polling centers; however, the vote count is expected to last until the early morning hours.

The president of the CNE, Diana Atamaint, said that the results would be officially announced when the last vote has been counted.

The electoral race has been marked by violence amid the insecurity crisis in the country. On Saturday night, there was the murder of candidate Omar Menéndez, 41 years old, in the province of Manabí.

It is reported that at least five candidates were killed in the electoral campaign and 12 others suffered attacks, including some of their family members.