At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of Ecuador  

The first round of the presidential election occurred on 20 August 2023. 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (since 24 May 2021) 

• Head of Government: President Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (since 24 May 2021) 

• Assembly: unicameral National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) with 137 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. The President may serve up to two 4-year terms. 

• All 137 members of the National Assembly are directly elected and serve 4-year terms. Among them, 116 are elected by plurality vote in single-seat constituencies, 15 are elected by proportional representation vote in a single, nationwide constituency, and 6 are elected by plurality vote multi-seat constituencies representing Ecuadorians abroad. 

Last Election: 

In the first round of the 2023 election, Luisa GONZÁLEZ led the field with 33.61% of the vote, followed by Daniel NOBOA (23.47%). Voter turnout was 82.94%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

In May, President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly just after assemblymembers began impeachment proceedings against him. Lasso used a procedure known as muerte cruzada (mutual death) which triggered early legislative and presidential elections. However, he later announced he would not run for reelection. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 10 June 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A 

• Voter registration is passive; all Ecuadorians who have obtained a national ID are added to the voter rolls. 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Luisa GONZÁLEZ 

• Citizen Revolution Political Movement / Movimiento Político Revolución Ciudadana 

• Daniel NOBOA 

• National Democratic Action / Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN) 

• Coalition including Pueblo, Igualdad y Democracia; Mover 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 17,483,326 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 13,450,047 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 8,829,963 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 9 November 1981 

• Gender Quota: Yes, each party list must alternate to include an equal quantity of men and women  

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 60 out of 137 (43.8%) in the National Assembly  

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.740, High, Rank 95 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 17, Very Low (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 3 April 2008 

• Projected population with a disability: 1,324,494 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Ecuador: Yes, program office 

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 9 resources