Ecuador finalizes voter roll and candidate slate for 2026 local elections

The National Electoral Council (CNE) approved the definitive voter register for Ecuador’s 2026 local elections, confirming 13,827,643 eligible voters for the November 29 ballot, including 496,308 overseas Ecuadorians who may vote voluntarily. It also set a passive register of 1,268,491 citizens who have not voted in the past four elections.

In parallel, the CNE updated the electoral register for the 2027 elections, noting more than 13.3 million voters nationwide and over 189 000 Ecuadorians residing in Spain.

Political movements completed their primary processes, naming candidates for mayoral and prefectural posts across the country. In Azuay, the “Cuencanos como Vos” alliance presented former prefect Paul Carrasco for Cuenca mayor and Omar Álvarez for Azuay prefecture. The Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN) nominated ex‑minister Juan Carlos Vega for Cuenca mayor, while the Revolución Ciudadana (RC), despite a suspension of its legal status, put legislator Juan Pablo Molina forward as its precandidate for Guayaquil mayor, backed by the Movimiento AMIGO.

A number of National Assembly members also announced runs for local offices. ADN’s Arianna Burgos, Andrés Guschmer, Yadira Bayas and Mario Zambrano seek mayoral or prefectural seats; RC’s Ronal González, Jeaneth Bustos and Juan Pablo Molina aim for prefectures and the Guayaquil mayoralty; and the PSC and other parties have fielded candidates in Manabí, El Oro and other provinces. The CNE has opened the candidate registration window from August 2, 2026.