Link to Article: “How youth, women could decide Ecuador’s next president“
The ongoing election in Ecuador has millions of citizens awaiting a new leader, as well as changes in their government. After the last round of voting, two main candidates are left: Andres Arauz and Guillermo Lasso. As the busy candidates continue to campaign for their spot as the next president, two main groups of Ecuadorians- women and youth- are being targeted for votes, as they are predicted to have the biggest impact on the election.
With the younger generations accounting for 30% of votes, and women accounting for 51%, the roles of these two voting groups will be crucial in the election. Candidates must focus on the primary issues concerning these groups. For women, the concern is mainly about the inequality and violence that they continue to face time the country. As for the youth, issues such as economic struggles seem to be the primary target. Both candidates have made efforts to appeal to these groups, including creating social media accounts n platforms such as “TikTok” to appeal to the younger generations, but campaign researchers have stated that the candidates should focus more on their policies.
With Ecuador’s divided political landscape, Arauz has shown the most openness to different ideas and opinions, although his history connected to the controversial past president, Rafael Correa, may have a negative impact on his voter outcome. On the other hand, Lasso, who doesn’t have a particularly compromising history, hasn’t met with activists, while Arauz has made attempt to.
Diving deeper into one of the primary issues at hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted the Ecuadorian economy. Young citizens are being heavily affected by this, as on and off closures of businesses have led to unemployment and heavy expenses. Furthermore, because of the pandemic, funding for universities and schools was cut, leaving students struggling. Additionally, women have been faced with years of violence and oppression against them in Ecuador. This can be tied back to the historical social structure and gender roles held within the country. Femicides have become an increasing issue regarding the safety of women, and the election of a new president presents some hope for both situations.
Ecuador, also known as the Republic of Ecuador, is a unitary state, operating under a presidential system. This means that the president essentially holds the majority of power over the entire country. This makes the upcoming election extremely important, as the president is the sole person who can make major changes to the issues within the nation. On the domestic and state levels, this directly effects all of the citizens of Ecuador, as new changes and laws will have an impact of everybody living under its rule. On the international level, the global arena will see a new international leader emerge, and this may change the country’s foreign policy and the way it negotiates with other nations.