2013 Ecuadorian general election

General elections were held in Ecuador on 17 February 2013 to elect the President, the National Assembly, Provincial Assemblies and members of the Andean Parliament.[1] The incumbent President Rafael Correa was re-elected by a wide margin.[2] Correa's closest electoral rival, Guillermo Lasso, conceded the election shortly after it concluded.

2013 Ecuadorian general election

17 February 2013

Nominee Rafael Correa Guillermo Lasso Lucio Gutiérrez Party PAIS Alliance CREO PSP Running mate Jorge Glas Juan Carlos Solines Pearl Boyes Fuller Popular vote 4,918,482 1,951,102 578,875 Percentage 57.17% 22.68% 6.73%

Map of results of the first round by provinces.

President before election Rafael Correa PAIS Alliance Elected President Rafael Correa PAIS Alliance

The vote had been set for January 2013, but was put back a month to allow a full year to elapse after the reform of election rules.[3]

This was the first election since 1996 held after the natural expiration of a four-year presidential term. This due to a decade of political and economical instability that Ecuador experienced after Abdalá Bucaram was impeached by the former Congress, in late 1997, and that lasted until Correa's inauguration in early 2007.[4]

Background

The call for general elections happened on October 18, 2012. The election campaigns were officially launched on January 4 and ended on February 14, as announced by CNE member Juan Pablo Pozo.[5]

Voters chose the president and vice president of the Republic, as well as national and provincial assembly members, members of the Andean Parliament, mayors, prefects, and other sectional officials.[6]

The seated President Correa, a two-term incumbent, is credited with bringing stability and prosperity to Ecuador's nearly 15 million people. A staunch friend of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, he is usually described as "leftist" and "socialist." He is committed to poverty reduction through not just economic growth, but redistribution of wealth as well. As he told the CELAC Summit in 2015: "For the first time in the history of humanity this poverty is no longer due to a lack of resources, but rather is the fruit of inequality, and this, in turn, the product of perverse relations of power, where few have it all and many have nothing at all.”[7] This approach has generated fervent support as well as hostility from wealthy sectors in Ecuador; for example, his land reform policies for giving unproductive land to poor peasants has worried agribusiness, particularly the large flower and banana producers. He has vastly expanded the number of workers on the public sector and made health and education free for all Ecuadorians. Some have argued that Correa has clamped down on dissent in the country's news media, although journalists in Ecuador are not risking their lives as they are in other countries of the region.[8][9] His government has run record-high deficits. In 2009, Correa became the first president of Ecuador to win re-election in nearly a half-century.[10]

Democracy Code

In late 2012, Ecuador's Constitutional Court (CC) ruled on the adoption of the Democracy Code by a 6 to 3 vote in favor. The new resolution made the D'Hondt method of voting constitutional; therefore it was applied in the 2013 elections. The resolution also states that legal restrictions on the work of journalists during elections are unconstitutional.[11]

Presidential elections

Candidates

Eight presidential candidates were registered in the National Electoral Council.[12] The candidates were: Rafael Correa of the PAIS Alliance movement, Guillermo Lasso of the Creating Opportunities movement, Lucio Gutiérrez of the PSP party, Alberto Acosta Espinoza, candidate of the Coordinating Committee of the Left, Norman Wray, of the Ruptura 25 movement, Nelson Zavala, of the Roldosist Party, Mauricio Rodas, of the SUMA movement, and Álvaro Noboa, of PRIAN.[13]

Restrictions of the candidate's qualifications

The National Electoral Council (Spanish-language initials, CNE) approved the regulations for the registration and qualification of candidates running for President, Vice President, Assembly and the Andean Parliament for the election. The regulations established that candidates who have contracts with the State or have received final judgments for offenses penalized with imprisonment such as bribery, illicit enrichment and embezzlement, would not be allowed to participate.[14]

Parliamentary elections

Ecuadorians not only voted on February 17 for their president and vice-president, but as well as for 137 members of the national assembly; drawn from provinces, a national list, and six migrant spots, and for their five Andean Parliament representatives.[15]

Opinion polls

Surveys generally attributed between 50% and 60% of the votes to President Correa. The seven other candidates lagged far behind; Correa's nearest rival, Guillermo Lasso, was credited with 10—20% of the vote.[16]

Results

President

Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Rafael Correa	Movimiento Alianza PAIS	4,918,482	57.17
Guillermo Lasso	Creating Opportunities	1,951,102	22.68
Lucio Gutiérrez	January 21 Patriotic Society Party	578,875	6.73
Mauricio Rodas	SUMA	335,532	3.90
Álvaro Noboa	Institutional Renewal Party of National Action	319,956	3.72
Alberto Acosta	Plurinational Unity of the Lefts	280,539	3.26
Norman Wray	Ruptura 25	112,525	1.31
Nelson Zavala	Ecuadorian Roldosist Party	105,592	1.23
Invalid/blank votes		863,257	–
Total		9,465,860	100
Registered voters/turnout		11,675,441	81.09
Source: CNE

National Assembly

Party	Votes	%	Seats
			National	Provincial	Abroad	Total	+/–
Alianza PAIS	45,955,995	52.30	8	86	6	100	+41
Creating Opportunities	10,032,804	11.42	2	9	0	11	New
Social Christian Party	7,901,315	8.99	1	5	0	6	–5
January 21 Patriotic Society Party	4,955,320	5.64	1	4	0	5	–14
Plurinational Unity of the Lefts	4,151,000	4.72	1	4	0	5	–4
Ecuadorian Roldosist Party	3,960,188	4.51	1	0	0	1	–2
SUMA	2,829,034	3.22	1	0	0	1	New
Institutional Renewal Party of National Action	2,640,181	3.00	0	0	0	0	–7
Partido Avanza	2,568,156	2.92	0	5	0	5	New
Ruptura 25	2,179,383	2.48	0	0	0	0	New
Socialist Party – Broad Front of Ecuador	698,829	0.80	0	0	0	0	–1
Independents and Regionalists	–	–	–	3	0	3	–
Invalid/blank votes	2,083,795	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total	9,443,716	100	15	116	6	137	+13
Registered voters/turnout	11,675,441	80.89	–	–	–	–	–
Source: CNE, El Universo

Reactions

Banker Guillermo Lasso, the runner-up in the vote, conceded his defeat in broad terms, by stating: “I recognise the triumph of President Correa.”[10] Thousands of Correa's backers celebrated in Quito's main square just after the polls closed. Speaking from the balcony of the Presidential Palace, Correa thanked them for their "immense trust.” [17]

References

1. "To present, 85 institutions are authorized by the National Electoral Council to issue publications | ANDES". Archived from the original on 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
2. Neuman, William (February 17, 2013). "President Correa Handily Wins Re-election in Ecuador". The New York Times.
3. "Ecuador's presidential election set for February 2013". Reuters. February 24, 2012.
4. "Los 7 años de Correa en Ecuador: estabilidad en medio de éxitos y críticas" January 17, 2014. La República
5. "Ecuador will convene for elections on October 18 | ANDES". Archived from the original on 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
6. "Ecuador Times - CNE Introduced 2013 Election Calendar". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
8. Garcia, Eduardo (2013-02-18). "Ecuador's re-elected Correa vows media and land reforms". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
9. Associated Press in Quito (2013-02-18). "Ecuador's President Rafael Correa says citizens will be in charge, not money | World news | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
10. Gill, Nathan. "Ecuador Re-Elects Correa on Vow to Spend Amid Record Deficit". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
11. "Constitutional Court resolves Democracy Code | EcuadorTimes.net | Breaking News, Ecuador News, World, Sports, Entertainment". Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
12. "The electoral race for votes starts today | EcuadorTimes.net | Breaking News, Ecuador News, World, Sports, Entertainment". Archived from the original on 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
13. "On the road and in meetings, eight candidates begin their race for the Ecuadorian presidency | ANDES". Archived from the original on 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
14. "CNE issues new restrictions for candidates qualification | EcuadorTimes.net | Breaking News, Ecuador News, World, Sports, Entertainment". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
15. Ecuador: Correa launches re-election campaign, socialists give critical support | Green Left Weekly
16. Rafael Correa's new challenge
17. Neuman, William (18 February 2013). "Rafael Correa Wins Re-election in Ecuador". The New York Times.