Ecuadorians go to the polls

Quito, February 7 (RHC)-- Ecuador opened polling stations early Sunday morning to elect the successor of President Lenín Moreno amid strict biosecurity protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

A total of 13,099,150 citizens are eligible to participate in the elections to choose the next president and vice-president of the country, the 137 members of the National Assembly and the five Andean parliamentarians.

The contest involves 16 presidential candidates, approved by the National Electoral Council of Ecuador after overcoming multiple obstacles for registration of candidacies, complaints and challenges to decisions of the agency and against some of the candidates by the electoral body.

The list of aspirants to the country's presidency for the next four years includes Andrés Arauz (UNES-Centro Democrático), Lucio Gutiérrez (Partido Sociedad Patriótica), Gerson Almeida (Ecuatoriano Unido), Isidro Romero (Avanza), Carlos Sgnay (Fuerza Ecuador), Xavier Hervas (Izquierda Democrática) and Pedro Freile (Amigo).

Completing the presidential nominations are: César Montúfar (Concertación), Yaku Pérez (Pachakutik), Giovanny Andrade (Unión Ecuatoriana), Gustavo Larrea (Democracia Sí), Guillermo Lasso (CREO), Guillermo Celi (SUMA), Juan Fernando Velasco (Construye), Paúl Carrasco (Juntos Podemos) and Ximena Peña (Alianza PAIS).

In the case of the nominees for members of Parliament, there are 2,146 candidates for the 137 seats available for national and provincial legislators.