While the country awaits the results of the recounts and review of suspended votes, one thing is clear: one of three people will be the next President of Ecuador. One candidate who is assured to be in April 11th’s second-round election is Andrés Arauz, Sunday’s top...
Ecuador still in shock as election results continue to be tallied
Ecuador awoke to a shock on Monday as the results of its presidential election showed that all the polls going into the vote were off by a wide margin. Up until the first vote was cast on Sunday, all the most recent polls showed that Andrés Arauz, the correísmo...
SPECIAL ELECTION EDITION
Ecuador heads to the polls this week to elect its next President (and Vice president and some Assembly members), in what is likely to be an historic outcome, moving the country either slightly to the right or firmly back into the far left that ruled during Rafael...
“Will you keep the subsidies or free up fuel and gas prices?”
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. Most of the candidates for the Presidency of the Republic agree that the subsidy for gas for domestic use should be maintained, although some speak of targeting or a partial...
“Will you keep the contribution to the retirement pensions in IESS at 40%?
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. In 2015, the Law for Labor Justice came into force - which reached the Assembly as an initiative of the Rafael Correa government - that eliminated the obligation for the...
“Will you comply with the agreement signed with the IMF?”
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. Last September Ecuador signed a financial agreement with the Monetary Fund for $6.5 billion in financing for 27 months. Almost all the candidates said that they will...
“What do you propose in terms of financial resources, personnel and legislation to overcome the problem of insecurity (“crime”) in the country?”
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. During 2020, a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, violence in the country grew, as murders went from 875 (in 2019) to 986, that is, they rose...
“What actions will you take so that the health system covers all medical care?
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. Building more hospitals, giving more budget or managing a comprehensive health network that includes not only the State, but the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security...
“How will you face the COVID-19 pandemic? “
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. Thru Sunday, Ecuador registered 250,828 people infected with COVID-19 and 14,859 deaths (between confirmed and probable cases), according to the daily report of the National...
“How will the weight of public debt decrease?
Here are the responses to that question from the 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador. The 16 candidates for the Presidency of the Republic have different visions to face one of the great problems of the country. Each of them was asked: “How will you reduce the...
Ecuador Verifica fact checks more Presidential campaign claims
Over the last two months, we’ve run articles from Ecuador Verifica, an initiative in the country that brings together 14 media, 9 civil society organizations and 7 universities. Its objectives are to combat misinformation, verify the veracity of the speeches of the...
You did okay Lenin
Well, Ecuador elects a new president this Sunday. But the odds are that no candidate will get enough votes in the first round for outright victory (there are 16 candidates!). So, there will be a run-off in April. Oddsmakers say it will likely be between Rafael...
Mild Improvement In Case Numbers But Vaccine Delivery Date Still In Question
Tracking the spread and outcome of the coronavirus in Ecuador: Updated for Tuesday, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 The numbers we presented over the last two weeks were alarming, not only for the shear increase in cases and deaths, but also because of how quickly things changed...
20 Beautiful Hidden Beaches of Ecuador
Ecuador has paradise to be found in all four regions of the country, although not always well known. On the coast, our country has been privileged with beautiful beaches and many of them go unnoticed, in some cases because they are a bit remote or their access is more...
More than 9,000 olive ridley sea turtles born in Esmeraldas
Photo gallery at the end of this article More than 9,000 olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) have been born on one of Ecuador's beaches in the course of recent months, in an explosion of life in the province of Esmeraldas under the protection of the Ministry...
Rate Of New Deaths Increases In 18 Provinces As Government Awaits Vaccine
Tracking the spread and outcome of the coronavirus in Ecuador: Updated for Tuesday, January 27, 2021 Last week we shared information from the El Universo newspaper that outlined the rate with which the coronavirus was continuing to spread throughout the country. The...
Where did the morning go?
Now that things in the US political situation have calmed down a bit, I find myself with more time in the morning. Whereas I used to get up and immediately reach for my phone to see what the latest craziness was that was going on in the US, now I just let it sit there...
UPDATES 1-26-21
Update to: Guayaquil’s Aerovía transport system nears its opening with big expectations Published: Volume 5, Issue 2 The Guayaquil Airway captures only 30% of the projected users The Aerovía airborne transportation system, which connects Guayaquil with Durán, closed...
Ecuatoriana Airlines will hire crews in April and plans to fly in July
While it works on completing the processes to receive its certifications to fly, Ecuatoriana Airlines has set the month in which it will tentatively start operating in Ecuadorian territory: July. By July, the company expects to have its initial crews ready to begin...
Ecuador’s 16 Presidential candidates answers to, “How will you recover the thousands of jobs that were lost in the pandemic?”
Unemployment is one of the problems that the new government will have to face. The actions to confront it are included in the proposals of the 16 candidates for the Presidency of the Republic. They all feel that either by “reactivating” the economy, or with specific...
Cuenca Short Stories 1-26-21
Land terminal will be remodeled The Cuenca land terminal is going to be remodeled, the new space will be offer separate areas for the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers from inter-provincial buses. It will be in the old transfer terminal, which was...
Vehicle sales fell 35% in 2020 while motorcycle sales rose 25%
During 2020, vehicle sales contracted by 35% compared to 2019: sales figures fell from 132,208 to 85,818 units, or 46,390 fewer vehicles. The Association of Automotive Companies of Ecuador (AEADE) says that this drop in vehicle sales occurred due to the economic...
UPDATES 1-17-2021
Update to: IMF and Ecuador reach agreement on $6.5 billion low-interest loan Published: Volume 4, Issue 48 IMF and Ecuador reviewed progress of financial agreement The Minister of Economy and Finance, Mauricio Pozo, met last week with the managing director of the...
POSITIVITY RATES INCREASE ACROSS ALMOST ALL PROVINICES
Tracking the spread and outcome of the coronavirus in Ecuador: Updated for Tuesday, January 19, 2021 This week, in addition to providing our summary, we are also including information reported by El Universo newspaper that has taken a look at things differently than...
Third Presidential debate sparked some heated discussion between the 16 candidates
The Mandatory Presidential Debate of the National Electoral Council (CNE), with the attendance of all 16 candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador, was held this past Saturday, January 16th and Sunday, January 17th. The event was held in Guayaquil at TC Televisión, and...
Ecuador Verifica fact checks more Presidential campaign claims
Over the last month, we’ve run articles from Ecuador Verifica, an initiative in the country that brings together 14 media, 9 civil society organizations and 7 universities. Its objectives are to combat misinformation, verify the veracity of the speeches of the...
Deal with US development bank will help Ecuador pay Chinese loans
The United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has reached an agreement with Ecuador for $3.5 billion in funding for economic reactivation, in exchange for Ecuador excluding China and its companies from a role in its telecommunications networks....
Cuenca Short Stories 1/17/2021
Cuenca COE issues new resolutions Indiscipline is a constant in the Cuenca markets. The situation has become uncontrollable at the Feria Libre in El Arenal, the largest commercial point in the city. Sellers and buyers do not respect social distancing, there are crowds...
Assembly approves constitutional amendment making the number of kilometers of roads a criterion for the distribution of resources among provincial governments
On Sunday, with 95 votes in favor, 32 negative and 3 abstentions, the Plenary Assembly approved the amendment to Article 272 of the Constitution so that the number of existing, planned and projected kilometers of rural roads corresponding to the territory of each...
A huge opportunity
Well, the day has finally arrived. The inauguration of a new President in the United States will happen tomorrow. Of course, what the day will look like is only known to a handful of people who a) are trying to make sure that it happens and that everyone is safe, or...