Ecuador electoral council blocks four parties from fielding own candidates

The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Ecuador announced that four political movements — Revolución Ciudadana (RC), SUMA, Izquierda Democrática (ID) and RETO — will not be allowed to register their own candidates for the sectional elections scheduled for November 2026. The disqualification follows the groups' failure to complete internally mandated primary processes by the July 2 deadline stipulated in the Code of Democracy.

RC was additionally suspended by the Electoral Contencioso Tribunal for nine months amid a criminal investigation into alleged money‑laundering linked to campaign financing. The CNE said the blocked groups may still join electoral alliances with parties that complied with the primary deadline, but they must support only candidates officially nominated by those parties.

Commentators have described the broader context as a “dedazo” or “dedocracia” practice that concentrates candidate selection in party leadership, raising concerns about internal democratic standards. The electoral authority has allocated roughly $7.9 million for ballot printing, $4.3 million for official documents, and $2.5 million for election kits as the campaign period approaches.