The electoral institution received about 53,000 applications and has certified 51,730 candidacies to date; however, the registration figure may change once the review process concludes this Monday.

The electoral calendar states that the campaign will run from November 12 to 26, a period that will also feature 45 debates involving candidates running for 21 prefectures and 24 mayoralties.

The process will then enter its final stage with a second national rehearsal on November 15, and an “electoral silence” period from November 27 to 29, leading up to election day.

More than 13 million Ecuadorians are called to the polls to elect prefects, mayors, councilors, parish board members, and new representatives to the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS), the body responsible for appointing oversight authorities.

The electoral process is unfolding amid criticism from opposition groups due to decisions that limit the participation of certain political organizations and candidates.

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