Ecuador holds special election amid violence that may scare away voters | Regina Garcia Cano / The Associated Press

Supporters attend an open-air Mass during the closing campaign rally of the “Movement Construye” party in Quito, Ecuador on Thursday, August 17, 2023. The upcoming snap election set for August 20 was called after President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree in May, to avoid being impeached.

“I don’t think the election will change anything,” said pharmacist Leidy Aguirre, 28, who has gradually stopped going out with friends over the past three years, out of fear of being robbed. “Not even politicians are safe.” Interior Minister Juan Zapata said this past week that the only restriction people will face when voting will be the inspection of backpacks. Street vendors will not be allowed near voting centers.

The frontrunner in polling was Luisa González, a lawyer and former lawmaker whose campaign has highlighted her affiliation with the party of Correa, the former president who in 2020 was found guilty of corruption and sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. He has been living in his wife’s native Belgium since 2017.

To win outright, a candidate needs 50% of the votes, or at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the closest opponent. If needed, a runoff election would take place Oct. 15. The winner will govern only for the remainder of Lasso’s unfinished term, meaning less than two years. In addition to a universal demand for safety, the new president will need to address an economy that is still struggling with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s Central Bank reduced its growth expectation for 2023 from 3.1 percent to 2.6 percent, an annual economic performance that analysts forecast will be even lower.

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