Ecuador schedules 45 mandatory debates for local elections

Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) has scheduled 45 mandatory debates for mayoral and prefectural candidates between November 12 and November 26. These debates precede the sectional elections on November 29, where 13.8 million citizens will vote for local officials and members of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (Cpccs).

Debates will be held in jurisdictions with more than 100,000 voters, including Amazonian provinces such as Orellana, Napo, Sucumbíos, and Morona Santiago. Guayas and Manabí will each host five debates. The CNE has allocated $1.25 million for this process and is inviting citizens to propose discussion topics via a survey from October 1 to October 14.

Separately, the partial renewal of the CNE has been delayed. Due to scheduling adjustments by the selection commission, the designation of new councilors is now projected for January 2027, following the November elections. This delay follows challenges in finalizing the list of academics responsible for preparing examination materials.