It is not easy to decide what is normal and what is not, but Ecuador’s Electoral Council has defined this Sunday as “absolute normality” in the first hours of the presidential elections. In a way it was. All polling stations in the country were able to open their doors and citizens voted without major inconvenience. However, there are images that question the normality of the snap elections, marked by the assassination of one of the presidential candidates ten days ago. Fernando Villavicencio’s successor, Christian Zurita, arrived at the ballot box wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest surrounded by soldiers and shields as if he were about to reach a war front. Normalcy is long overdue for Ecuadorians.
The messages, which came across the networks and on television, warned voters not to bring backpacks or bags to polling stations and also advised voters to vote alone. Schools across the country opened early for the 13.4 million citizens who can attend. The early risers did so with the notion that they would have to vote again in October, in what was almost a certainty to be a second ballot. Although there are always exceptions. Contrary to all the polls, Diego Roncero, 65, is certain that Zurita will be appointed president this Sunday: “He will win the vote of anger against drug dealers and drug politics.”
In these atypical elections, people tend to go to the polls blindly. The latest polls were released a day before Villavicencio’s assassination, so it’s not easy to say whether the assassination will play a role in the results, as Roncero claims. According to all known polls, Correísmo candidate Luisa González would lead, albeit far from winning in the first round. There are doubts as to who will be his opponent in October.
A soldier guards a polling station in Quito this Sunday. Jose Jacome (EFE)
The remaining candidates also voted under tight security, some wearing bulletproof vests, others surrounded by a protective circle. President Guillermo Lasso, who is not standing for re-election, pledged that with these snap elections he would restore the powers of government that had been entrusted to him. Lasso surprisingly decided to shorten his term last May when he announced the dissolution of the assembly and the call for elections. The President was then involved in a political trial for alleged corruption. The president who wins the elections — now or in October — will only rule until the end of Lasso’s 18-month term.
A year and a half that seems short given the challenges that Ecuador is facing and that have become clear in this campaign. Insecurity is already the number one concern of all citizens and it does not seem easy to combat. Violence has increased over the past three years, hand in hand with the increasing presence of drug trafficking groups from Colombia and Mexico, who have established themselves in the country and are struggling for control of areas, particularly on the Pacific coast. In places like Guayaquil, some polling stations are armored to ensure the safety of citizens who no longer walk the streets quietly.
That fear is looking to capitalize on one of October’s most promising candidates, who this Sunday was confident of his possibilities. “We’re in the second round,” Jan Topic warned after voting with her family in Samborondón. The topic, completely unknown before this campaign, has gained popularity thanks to a vigorous speech against insecurity supporting Nayib Bukele’s method in El Salvador.
The results will be announced from 5 p.m. local time, when all schools are expected to be closed. The biggest problems recorded came from abroad, where voters from several countries have complained that the telematics system used at this election date does not allow them to vote normally. The National Electoral Council has asked her for patience: “Due to the high demand from voters, we ask our compatriots to be patient when processing the information.”
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