At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Ecuador

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Gustavo NOBOA Bejarano *
• Head of Government: President Gustavo NOBOA Bejarano
• Assembly: Ecuador has a unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) with 100 seats.

* President NOBOA Bejarano replaced Jamil MAHAUD following a coup in January 2000.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the National Congress (Congreso Nacional) 100 members are appointed through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Each of the country's 22 provinces returns a minimum of two deputies plus one additional seat for every 200,000 inhabitants.

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Lucio Edwin GUTIERREZ Borbua*
  • Party: Popular Socialist Party/Multinational Pachakutik United Movement (SPS/MUPP-NP)
• Alvaro Fernando NOBOA Ponton*
  • Party: New Party for National Action (PRIAN)
• Leon ROLDOS Aguilera
  • Party: Socialist Party (PS)
• Rodrigo Borja CEVALLOS
  • Party: Democratic Left (ID)
• Antonio Xavier NEIRA Menendez
  • Party: Social Christian Party (PSC)
• Jacobo BUCARAM Ortiz
  • Party: Ecuadorian Rolosist Party (PRE)
• Jacinto VELAZQUEZ Herrera
  • Party: Movimiento Transformación Social Independiente (TSI)
• Ivonne Leyla Juez ABUCHAKRA
  • Party: Ecuadorian Liberal Radical Party (PLRE)
• Cesar Augosto Alarcon COSTTA
  • Party: Liberal Party (PL)
• Osvaldo HURTADO Larrea
  • Party: Patriotic Solidarity Movement (MPS)
• Carlos Antonio VARGAS Guatatuca
  • Party: Indigeneous Movement Amauta Jatari (MIAJ)

* GUTIERREZ and NOBOA advanced to the second election round.

Last Presidential election:

• Last presidential election held: July 12, 1998 (second round). Jamil MAHUAD was elected with 51.3% of votes over Alvaro Fernando Noboa Pontón with 48.7 % of the votes.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 13,072,056 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 8,154,425 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 6,521,540 (2002)

·         Is Ecuador a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Ecuador ratified CEDAW: Yes (9 November 1981)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 16 (following the 2002 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 88 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Ecuador a signatory to CRPD: Yes 30 March 2007

·         Has Ecuador ratified CRPD: 3 April 2008

·         Population with a disability: 1,960,808 (est.)