|
QUITO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) conformed Thursday that 70 political organizations have registered to participate in the presidential and legislative elections slated for Feb. 19, 2017.
Of the total, 16 are national - seven political parties and nine national movements - while 54 are provincial organizations, the CNE said in a press release.
"We are handing in the definitive list of political organizations of those that fulfill the registration requirements and that will be able to present their candidates in the coming elections," said Juan Pozo, president of the CNE.
During the 2017 elections, Ecuador's new president and vice president will be chosen along with 137 national, provincial and foreign assembly members as well as five members of the Andean Parliament.
Pozo said candidate registration will take place from Oct. 19 until November and each candidate must be chosen democratically within each political organization.
The movement that is currently in power, the left-wing Alianza PAIS are set to decide upon their presidential pairing and candidates for the National Assembly, which currently has a ruling majority, on Oct. 1.
Current President Rafael Correa reiterated on Thursday that he has decided not to run for reelection in the 2017 elections after 10 years in power.
Correa endorsed his position in response to an initiative created by a group of citizens that presented the CNE with over 1.2 million signatures on Monday. The initiative calls for a referendum to repeal a transitory constitutional provision that prevents Correa from participating in the upcoming elections.
Several opposition parties have already begun to plan for the elections and are seeking partnerships in order to present candidates. The ruling party hopes to have candidates to support Correa and the government's position, assuring the continuity of the so-called "citizens' revolution."
