Ecuadorian legislators become precandidates as Guayaquil primaries reshuffle local races

At least 21 of the 151 members of Ecuador’s National Assembly (13.9%) have been selected as precandidates for the November 2026 seccional elections, seeking mayoral, prefectural, vice‑prefect and council seats. The nominees come mainly from Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN), Revolución Ciudadana (RC), the Partido Social Cristiano (PSC) and independent movements. Should they formalize their candidacies, each lawmaker must resign, allowing their substitutes to serve for the remainder of the legislative term and triggering internal re‑assignments in three permanent commissions and the Legislative Administration Council.

Key figures include former assembly president Niels Olsen, now running for mayor of Samborondón, and minister‑turned‑assembly member Andrés Guschmer, who shifted from a Guayaquil mayoral bid to a Guayas prefecture candidacy. Other notable changes involve Viviana Veloz, Jaime Estrada Medranda, Ana Belén Tapia and Steven Ordóñez, whose upcoming resignations will affect commission leadership.

Parallel reports on the internal party primaries in Guayaquil and Guayas highlight further strategic moves: minister Zaida Rovira, initially slated for the Guayas prefecture, was reassigned to a council candidacy, with Guschmer taking her place. The PSC put Dr. Juan Carlos González forward for the Guayas prefecture and Andrés Roche for the Guayaquil mayoral race, while former mayor Cynthia Viteri is positioned as a possible “plan B” candidate under the Centro Democrático banner. These developments illustrate the maneuvering ahead of the 2026 local elections.