Rafael Correa may not be a national candidate

The possibility that former President Rafael Correa is a candidate in the 2021 elections are dashed by the approval of the Regulation for Internal Democracy of Political Organizations , which requires the personal registration of each candidate.

Rafael Correa may not be a national candidate

In this way, the norm that forces organizations to hold primaries where they choose candidates for the next elections in which they will elect the president and vice president of the Republic , provincial, national and Andean legislators, will continue to be in force.

Once the candidates have been proclaimed , they must go together with the legal representative of the group to the matrix in Quito of the National Electoral Council (CNE), in the case of national dignities , to sign their inclusion in the process.

Provincial Assembly candidates may do so in the delegations of the CNE in each constituency and the candidates for assembly by the outside in the consulates. Previously, the representative of the political organization went to the CNE with the list of candidates chosen to register them.

The Minister José Cabrera explained that the difficulties of the health emergency may not be present a representative of the CNE in each convention of the different movements so that, in a single act, signing the document the selection of candidates . For this reason there is a time of 10 days to approach the CNE and register your application personally.

He clarified that the approved regulation was not prepared to prevent the participation of any particular person. For this reason, in the case of former President Correa, he can go to the CNE offices and register as a candidate, provided that he has followed the previous procedure and does not have the impediments indicated in the Democracy Code.

The article 113 paragraph 2 of the Constitution states that may not be candidates who have been convicted and sentenced for offenses punishable by imprisonment , or bribery , illicit enrichment or embezzlement.

The former president has a sentence of 8 years in prison for the Sobornos case, as well as another order of preventive detention for the kidnapping of the activist Fernando Balda.

Acutalmente the judgment of first instance by bribery against the former president is not firm. “In the event that the appeal court that is currently analyzing this appeal ratifies the sentence, it will have the horizontal remedies for clarification and expansion and the appeal, which may suspend the execution of the sentence,” said lawyer Esteban Ron.

Therefore, while the sentence is not enforced, he can present himself as a candidate, but when the regulation that requires applicants to personally go to the CNE or to the consulates is approved , the situation may change by having two pending preventive prison orders.

Therefore if you are admitted to the Ecuadorian territory will be stopped immediately to fulfill the injunction. In addition, according to the Democracy Code that included the result of the popular consultation of February 2018 on the prohibition of re – election of the President of the Republic, he could not run for the presidency since he has already held it twice.

In case of going to a consulate abroad , and considering this as Ecuadorian territory, Correa could be apprehended by anyone who is there, “as established by the COIP in article 528 and be placed under authority competent ”, said Pedro Jerves, professor at the International University.

Electoral precincts will have a maximum of 500 voters

The National Electoral Council (CNE) advances with the analysis of the number of citizens allowed per electoral precinct for the 2021 elections. The idea is to reduce the number of voters in one place to avoid crowds and possible contagions.

Councilor José Cabrera commented that they are talking with prefects, mayors and representatives of the parish councils to study the empowerment of more spaces to host electoral tables on the day of the vote.

He said that they will review possible scenarios such as coliseums and auditoriums , where the electoral tables could be set up with the appropriate biosecurity measures recommended and that allow military and police control.

In this way, it is sought that there are not more than 500 people per electoral precinct , especially in large cities. ( I )