On November 29, Ecuadorians will head to the polls to elect the members of this body, as well as prefects, mayors, councilors, and other local officials.

  The list of aspirants is categorized into women, men, and representatives of Indigenous peoples and nationalities, Afro-Ecuadorians, Montubios, and Ecuadorians residing abroad.

  The process is unfolding amidst criticism from opposition sectors regarding decisions that have affected the participation of organizations and candidates.

  The Citizen Revolution (Revolucion Ciudadana), the main opposition force, was temporarily suspended by the Electoral Contentious Tribunal (TCE), forcing its representatives to seek alliances to run under the sponsorship of other parties, although some were barred from participating.

  Among them is former presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who sought to run for the prefecture of Manabi representing the Pachakutik movement; however, both the CNE and the TCE denied her registration.

  Against this backdrop, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) called on the Ecuadorian State to guarantee pluralistic and equal political participation, as well as due process and legal certainty.

jdt/otf/avr