Ecuador CNE establishes 2,500 contingency polling sites for El Niño risks

The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Ecuador has established 2,500 contingency polling stations to mitigate potential disruptions caused by the El Niño phenomenon during the sectional elections scheduled for November 29, 2026.

President of the CNE, José Cabrera Zurita, reported that the national plan includes 4,399 official polling stations. The additional contingency sites are intended to serve as alternatives if primary locations become inaccessible due to flooding or landslides. Preliminary analyses identified 368 sites at risk, with 257 facing potential flooding—primarily in the coastal region—and 111 facing alerts for landslides, particularly in provinces along the Andes.

The CNE is coordinating with the National Risk Management Secretariat and local governments to manage these risks. If voting becomes impossible at a specific site despite these measures, the CNE Plenary will decide whether to suspend voting in that location and set a new date.