On April 11th, 2021 Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, was elected as the new president of Ecuador winning with 52.4% of the Ecuadorean citizen vote. After running for president in 2013 and 2017 but coming in 2nd behind ex-President Rafael Correa, who was in office for 10 years, Lasso finally was able to win his 3rd election run (BBC). Correa was not allowed to run for presidential office due to the fact that he was caught with corruption and sentenced to 8 years in absentia and exile in Belgium.
He is set to take office on May 24th. Lasso has vowed to let go and go away from leftist views, as well as proposing to raise the minimum wage, defend women’s rights, and LGBTQ people. However, he will still need to convince certain voters since voting is required by law in Ecuador 1.6% of ballots were submitted blank and 16.3% were spoiled ballots. Specifically, Indigenous leader Yaku Pérez, who had spoiled his ballot has refused to support either of the candidates that ran.
This election amidst everything that has happened shows that even in current times there is still corruption within the government of Ecuador, which is seen from the ex-President of Ecuador who is now in exile. Having spent 10 years with him in office has driven Ecuadoreans to vote for someone who has no relation to him such as Guillermo Lasso. However, this is clear as to how Ecuadoreans hope that change happens and the importance of addressing the issues that he has proposed to address. As well as not to continue the corruption going on within the government and to be true to the citizens and not be corrupt himself which will only be told by time on how he is as a president.
work cited
BBC News. 2021. “Guillermo Lasso: Conservative Ex-Banker Elected Ecuador President,” April 12, 2021, sec. Latin America & Caribbean. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56713570.
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