Discouragement in conducting “Exit Polls” for Ecuadorian elections

“It’s an operation that costs a lot of money (…), is very complicated and it takes a long time to prepare a machine, deploy people, set an example. At least three data collection system tests must be made. ”

So said the confidential report director Santiago Nieto, who assures that the late decision of the National Electoral Council (CNE for its Spanish acronym) to authorize exit poll surveys on election 15 days before the elections , means that board members “have no idea of the exit poll” because it demands at least a month to do the relevant tests and define the sample.

Santiago Nieto

The CNE reconsidered last Wednesday, the ban on “Exit Poll”, which allows unofficially announce the winners inmediately after the elections (17:00), due to alleged manipulation in the results.

Pollsters Market, Perfiles y Opinion, OPE Ecuador, Informe Confidencial, Cedatos, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Especializados Centro Invest and Consult Marketing Solutions S.A. were described by the CNE to survey exit polls, but they warn difficulties due to lack of time.

Last Wednesday, at the Exhibition Centre, a quick count drill of the CNE was carried out.

Reviews

• The representative of Perfiles y Opinion, Paulina Recalde, revealed that despite being registered with the CNE, her company have decided not to make the exit poll due to the lack of time.
• Santiago Perez of OPE Ecuador, questioned by the results of the exit poll in the popular consultation and referendum of 2011, told Ecuavisa that is he considers to conduct exit poll interviews, but also notes the problems due to the short time to conduct the study.
• Carlos Coronel, director of Centro Invest, explained that it takes time to prepare the study.
• Santiago Cuesta, director of CMS Company, said he will not participate in this poll, because “he is not interested”.