CNE issues new restrictions for candidates qualification

The signatures verification process carried out by the CNE, finished yesterday.

QUITO, Ecuador

Yesterday, The National Electoral Council (CNE for its Spanish acronym) approved the regulations for the registration and qualification of candidates running for President, Vice President, Assembly and the Andean Parliament,  which election will take place on February 17, 2013.

The Regulations establish that candidates who have contracts with the State or have received final judgements for offenses penalized with imprisonment such as  bribery, illicit enrichment and embezzlement, will not be allowed to participate.

The CNE added two new restrictions within the Code of Democracy in this particular case: “those with final judgments sentenced to imprisonment while it remains” and “those with judicial interdiction while it lasts, except in cases of insolvency or bankruptcy that has not been declared fraudulent.”

The remaining restrictions are:

1. When the candidacies do not come from proper internal electoral processes or primaries, foreseeing by the Code of Democracy.

2. If the lists do not strictly keep equity, parity, alternation and gender sequence.

3. Submission of incomplete lists of principal and alternate candidates.

4. No presentation of a work plan.

5. Failure to meet age requirements (to be president or vice president, the minimum age must be 35; for Assembly members and other sectional dignities, 18). (MZ)