RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Last week, several decisions were taken in Ecuador which are likely to have an impact on the presidential elections next February. A press conference was held in Guayaquil on Wednesday to announce the foundation of the Union of Hope (Union por la Esperanza, UNES).
Eight nationwide organizations have joined forces to contest the next presidential and parliamentary elections in Ecuador on February 7th, including the “Compromiso Social” (Social Commitment) movement close to ex-President Rafael Correa, the Women’s Association and the Centro Democrático (Democratic Center).
Horacio Sevilla Borja of Centro Democrático and former ambassador of Ecuador at the UN and in Berlin, explained the goals of the alliance, which is to reverse the policies of the current president Lenin Moreno.
Franco Loor, the defense attorney of former Vice-President Jorge Glas, represented the newly founded organization Fuerza Rural y Productiva (Rural and Productive Force), an association of small farmers and businesses. They have joined together “to defeat those who have destroyed Ecuador [in the elections],” said Loor.
Former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, joined many other participants through the Zoom platform, but did not express his views. He later declared on Twitter that it was not the time to discuss candidates but rather unity. The representatives of the eight organizations in attendance each made statements and signed the joint manifesto.
The organizers expect that many more political and social groups will join the UNES in the near future. The candidate issue will be discussed in the near future.
The parties and organizations must hold preliminary elections in August to select candidates for next year’s elections. Twenty-three parties and movements intend to run for election. To date, there is only one official candidate from the conservative party Creo, Guillermo Lasso.
Another conservative politician who ran in the last elections, Jaime Nebot, had announced that he would not run again. The winner of the last election, Alianza País (Country Alliance), has not yet commented on the list and participation in the elections. The party was divided after a change of political direction. President Moreno is not seeking a second term in office.
His successor might be his current deputy. Last Friday, Vice-President Otto Sonnenholzner officially handed in his resignation in parliament, which he had previously announced on Tuesday. There is speculation that he will run for office in the presidential elections.
He was one of the driving forces behind neo-liberal politics in Ecuador. However, it is unclear on what political base he could stand as a candidate. The Social Democratic Party intends to build a civic front that is open to all who are not “Correists”.
Furthermore, last week the Foreign Minister, José Valencia, also resigned. President Moreno replaced him with Luis Gallegos, who had earlier represented Ecuador at the United Nations in New York. Andrés Isch was appointed Minister of Labor and Julio Recalde Minister of Urban Development.
It is still unclear whether ex-President Correa will be able to stand as a candidate in next year’s elections. On the one hand, legal proceedings are currently running against him and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. On the other hand, the election committee has passed a new regulation requiring candidates to register in person with the election authorities. As a candidate, Correa would have immunity from prosecution on entry. However, if this were the case, he would face immediate arrest.