Status review in Ecuador

To mark the 63^rd anniversary of the National Electoral Council and the associated Electoral Litigation Tribunal, Ecuador’s National University and Agora Democratica* co-sponsored a series of three events on the theme of Political Parties and democracy. These were attended by a cross section of political party members, electoral analysts and political scientists, student groups, national and local government representatives and the media.

In the first event, ten parties or representatives of regional political movements examined the ideological framework within the Ecuadorian political system. The meeting – which was attended by a former president of Ecuador – supported the mandatory registration of political parties and the need for them to meet certain obligations, particularly with respect to gender parity at all levels. Political parties themselves engaged constructively in this exercise and, for the first time, were prepared to acknowledge their shortcomings.

The second event, a panel discussion, examined some of the more contentious issues within the new Democratic Code, including vote counting, the financing of political parties and the role of the media.

The third event involved several lectures: one from the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights and another from the Electoral Assessment and Development Centre (IIDH-CAPEL) on Central American strategies for supporting and strengthening political parties. International IDEA also presented a paper focused on the Andean region, outlining the political challenges in the region and developments in support of the political parties and the political system more broadly.

* Agora Democratica is a joint venture between International IDEA and the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy to deliver a programme in Ecuador.