Ecuador prepares for 2026 elections amid security and political tensions

Ecuador is intensifying preparations for the sectional elections and CPCCS votes scheduled for November 29, 2026. The National Electoral Council (CNE) has established an Electoral Security Table to coordinate responses to violence and potential risks from the El Niño phenomenon. Authorities have identified 368 voting sites as vulnerable to flooding. To ensure order, more than 90,000 members of the Armed Forces and National Police will be deployed.

Political tensions have escalated following the Tribunal Contencioso Electoral (TCE) decision to exclude Luisa González from the race for the Manabí prefecture. The Revolución Ciudadana party has denounced this as a blow to democracy and announced a strategy to promote null votes to force a new election.

Regarding electoral rules, the CNE has reiterated a strict ban on photographing ballots, with fines ranging from 21 to 60 basic salaries. Additionally, the CNE is currently processing over 200 objections to more than 53,500 candidacies and is accepting accreditation applications for electoral observers until September 25.