Guillermo Lasso announces that he will not seek re-election

The Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso, announced on Friday that he will not run for presidential re-election in the anticipated elections derived from his decision to dissolve the Assembly two weeks ago and shorten his own period of government, in response to the political crisis that kept the executive in virtual paralysis.

The president, at a press conference from the Carondelet Palace, asserted that after deep reflection “I have defined my place” -not running as a candidate- in the presidential elections on August 20 and invited the country’s democratic sectors to meditate on the role they will play in the coming months.

“This is the greatest honor of my life, however, far above the office of president, I love democracy. Far above the presidency, I love freedom. And if my duty as president requires me to step down from my position to protect democracy, then I will do so. Without fear and with a clear conscience,” Lasso said.

He added that the Democrats “do not cling to power, but to freedom”, but he clarified that “it is not even close to an end point, rather it is a new beginning to redouble efforts in the government for the benefit of the citizens”.

Lasso, a former right-wing banker, came to power in May 2021 after seeking the presidency three times for a four-year term.

Mauricio Alarcón, an analyst and member of the Fundación Ciudadania y Desarrollo, in statements to The Associated Press, assured that it is right that the president “take a step aside in the race to the elections” and said that the levels of credibility and confidence of the president “They were on the ground.” In his judgment, he had no option for the ratification of his mandate.

At the ceremony in which Lasso made the announcement, he was accompanied by his entire cabinet and by his family, but he did not specify whether his party will present another candidate or support someone else from another political party.

A total of 13.4 million Ecuadorians were summoned to the polls in August to elect president, vice president and 137 legislators, who will have to complete the current management period, which ends in May 2025. In case there is no first-round winner round, a second round is scheduled for October 15.

The Ecuadorian political parties and movements are in the midst of meetings to choose their presidential and parliamentary candidates until June 10, the deadline for the registration of candidates. There are no registered applicants yet.

Among the names that resonated was that of Leónidas Iza, leader of the largest indigenous movement in the country, but he assured that he will not be a candidate for the country’s presidency, as the political arm of his collective, Pachakutik, had requested. He argued that “we cannot continue to surrender our forces to electoral situations” and said that he will concentrate his strength on promoting a transformation project.

Iza has led at least two national strikes, one in October 2019 and another in June 2022, characterized by the paralysis of most of the country through the closure of the main highways and violent actions in the cities that forced the closure of business or interruption of the working day. In both cases, the situation began with the demand to reduce the price of fuel.

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