Unidad Popular, the electoral wing of the PCMLE.

En Marcha

Central Organ of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador

Edition 1849 from March 27 to April 2, 2019

Translated by MLtranslations.org

The results of last Sunday’s elections are not yet fully known, but what has been made official so far – one day after the vote – allows for an initial analysis of them. A more detailed study should be done when all the figures are on the table.

We begin by looking at what happened with the parties of the left and the democratic and progressive tendency, which is intentionally absent in the analysis of the mass media. Unidad Popular [Popular Unity] and Pachakutik [Plurinational Unity Movement] have won seven prefectures; if one adds to this the parties of a democratic and progressive tendency, this makes 10 of the 23 disputed prefectures: more than in the previous electoral process. The left will have councilors in no less than 80 cantons. Unidad Popular, the object of a systematic and brutal attack against it under Corrrea [Rafael Correa was president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017], comfortably won more than the number of councilors required to maintain its electoral register, which in itself constitutes a victory. The number of cantonal representatives achieved in this vote exceeds that reached in the 2014 elections.

Nebot’s Social Christian Party, calling itself the leading force in the election, is actually a “giant with feet of clay.” One cannot disregard the strength that it still has in the province of Guayas, and its victories in Los Ríos, Esmeraldas and some others. However, some of the places that he claims he won he did so by buying the candidates of local movements and, therefore, not with a Christian Social vote. He lost a stronghold, Machala; he could not regain Ambato and once again showed his weakness in large cities such as Quito, Cuenca and Riobamba. In any case, the numbers project him as the leading force.

The supporters of Correa have obtained good results in large provinces. They have the prefecture in Pichincha and Manabí; Pierina Correa [sister of Rafael Correa] won an important vote in Guayas, but did not win mayoralties in large cities. These results show that Correa’s voice and image have a presence in the political life of the country and should not be underestimated.

Parties such as Creo, Avanza, Democracia Sí, Suma, ID make up a group that has achieved isolated victories in medium and small cities. Some of these will disappear and others will be punished [by the voters].

The Government party, Alianza País, is one of the big losers; its vote at the national level is poor.

There is a new correlation of political forces, highlighting the dispersal of the forces of the bourgeoisie, which may favor the action of the left.

The important step taken by the leftist forces in this electoral process must be strengthened by the struggle of the masses against the government’s IMF policy.

Categories: Ecuador, International