Ecuador Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Government and politics== {{Main|Politics of Ecuador}} The Ecuadorian State consists of five branches of government: the ''Executive Branch'', the ''Legislative Branch'', the ''Judicial Branch'', the ''Electoral Branch'', and ''Transparency and Social Control''. Ecuador is governed by a democratically elected president for a four-year term. The president of Ecuador exercises his power from the presidential [[Palacio de Carondelet]] in [[Quito]]. The [[2008 Constitution of Ecuador|current constitution]] was written by the [[Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly]] elected in 2007, and was approved by referendum in 2008. Since 1936, voting is compulsory for all literate persons aged 18–65, optional for all other citizens over the age of 16.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm |title=Compulsory Voting |url-status=dead |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612191446/http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/74/3/507/6321304 |title=Lowering the Voting Age to 16 in Practice: Processes and Outcomes Compared |last=Eichhorn |first=Jan |last2=Bergh |first2=Johannes |date=14 July 2021 |website=Parliamentary Affairs |publisher=Oxford Academic |access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref> The executive branch includes 23 ministries. Provincial governors and councilors (mayors, aldermen, and parish boards) are directly elected. The [[National Assembly of Ecuador]] meets throughout the year except for recesses in July and December. There are thirteen permanent committees. Members of the National Court of Justice are appointed by the National Judicial Council for nine-year terms. ===Executive branch=== {{Main|List of heads of state of Ecuador}} [[File:Carondelet - Quito.JPG|thumb|[[Palacio de Carondelet]], seat of the President of Ecuador]] The [[Executive (government)|executive branch]] is led by the president. The president is accompanied by the vice-president, elected for four years (with the ability to be re-elected only once). As head of state and chief government official, he is responsible for public administration including the appointing of national coordinators, ministers, ministers of State and public servants. The executive branch defines foreign policy, appoints the Chancellor of the Republic, as well as ambassadors and consuls, being the ultimate authority over the [[:Military of Ecuador|Armed Forces of Ecuador]], [[National Police of Ecuador]], and appointing authorities. The acting president's wife receives the title of [[First Lady of Ecuador]]. ===Legislative branch=== {{Main|National Assembly (Ecuador)}} The legislative branch is embodied by the [[National Assembly of Ecuador|National Assembly]], which is headquartered in the city of [[Quito]] in the Legislative Palace, and consists of 137 assemblymen, divided into ten committees and elected for a four-year term. Fifteen national constituency elected assembly, two Assembly members elected from each province and one for every 100,000 inhabitants or fraction exceeding 150,000, according to the latest national population census. In addition, statute determines the election of assembly of regions and metropolitan districts. ===Judicial branch=== Ecuador's judiciary has as its main body the Judicial Council, and also includes the National Court of Justice, provincial courts, and lower courts. Legal representation is made by the Judicial Council. The National Court of Justice is composed of 21 judges elected for a term of nine years. Judges are renewed by thirds every three years pursuant to the Judicial Code. These are elected by the Judicial Council on the basis of opposition proceedings and merits. The justice system is buttressed by the independent offices of public prosecutor and the public defender. Auxiliary organs are as follows: [[Civil law notary|notaries]], court auctioneers, and court receivers. Also there is a special legal regime for Amerindians. ===Electoral branch=== The electoral system functions by authorities which enter only every four years or when [[Elections in Ecuador|elections or referendums]] occur. Its main functions are to organize, control elections, and punish the infringement of electoral rules. Its main body is the [[National Electoral Council (Ecuador)|National Electoral Council]], which is based in the city of Quito, and consists of seven members of the [[Political parties in Ecuador|political parties]] most voted, enjoying complete financial and administrative autonomy. This body, along with the [[Electoral Tribunal|electoral court]], forms the ''Electoral Branch'' which is one of Ecuador's five [[Separation of powers|branches of government]]. ===Transparency and social control branch=== The Transparency and Social Control consists of the [[Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control]], an [[ombudsman]], the Comptroller General of the State, and the superintendents. Branch members hold office for five years. This branch is responsible for promoting transparency and control plans publicly, as well as plans to design mechanisms to combat corruption, as also designate certain authorities, and be the regulatory mechanism of accountability in the country. ===Foreign affairs=== {{Main|Foreign relations of Ecuador}} [[File:Secretary Pompeo Holds Joint Press Conference with President Moreno (48336351591).jpg|thumb|Ecuadorian President [[Lenín Moreno]] with U.S. Secretary of State [[Mike Pompeo]], 20 July 2019]] Ecuador joined the [[Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) in 1973 and suspended its membership in 1992. Under President [[Rafael Correa]], the country returned to OPEC before leaving again in 2020 under the instruction of President Moreno, citing its desire to increase crude oil exportation to gain more revenue.<ref>Stephan Kueffner & Peter Millard, [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-01/ecuador-to-leave-opec-in-january-amid-efforts-to-boost-income OPEC Suffers Another Departure With Ecuador Seeking More Cash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411012200/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-01/ecuador-to-leave-opec-in-january-amid-efforts-to-boost-income |date=11 April 2020 }}, Bloomberg News (2 October 2019).</ref><ref>Alexandra Valencia, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-opec/ecuador-to-quit-opec-in-2020-in-search-of-bigger-export-revenue-idUSKBN1WG4KB Ecuador to quit OPEC in 2020 in search of bigger export revenue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411012157/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-opec/ecuador-to-quit-opec-in-2020-in-search-of-bigger-export-revenue-idUSKBN1WG4KB |date=11 April 2020 }}, Reuters (1 October 2019).</ref> Ecuador has maintained a research station in Antarctica for peaceful scientific study as a member nation of the [[Antarctica Treaty]]. Ecuador has often placed great emphasis on multilateral approaches to international issues. Ecuador is a member of the United Nations (and most of its specialized agencies) and a member of many regional groups, including the [[Rio Group]], the [[Latin American Economic System]], the [[Latin American Energy Organization]], the [[Latin American Integration Association]], the [[Andean Community of Nations]], and the Bank of the South (Spanish: ''Banco del Sur'' or ''BancoSur''). In 2017, the Ecuadorian parliament adopted a ''law on human mobility''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ley_de_movilidad_humana_oficial.pdf |title=Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana |access-date=28 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329000143/http://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ley_de_movilidad_humana_oficial.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[International Organization for Migration]] lauded Ecuador as the first state to have established the promotion of the concept of universal citizenship in its [[2008 Constitution of Ecuador|constitution]], aiming to promote the universal recognition and protection of the human rights of migrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iom.int/news/ecuador-launches-new-human-mobility-national-plan|title=Ecuador Launches New Human Mobility National Plan|date=8 June 2018|access-date=28 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828134502/https://www.iom.int/news/ecuador-launches-new-human-mobility-national-plan|archive-date=28 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> In March 2019, Ecuador withdrew from the [[Union of South American Nations]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/03/11/uruguayan-government-withdraws-from-unasur-and-returns-to-tiar/|title=Uruguayan government withdraws from UNASUR and returns to TIAR|date=11 March 2020|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819175958/http://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/03/11/uruguayan-government-withdraws-from-unasur-and-returns-to-tiar/|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Human rights=== {{see also|LGBT rights in Ecuador}} [[File:Slums of Ecuador Guayaquil.jpg|thumb|230px|Poor class neighborhoods in [[Guayaquil]]]] A 2003 [[Amnesty International]] report was critical that there were scarce few prosecutions for human rights violations committed by security forces, and those only in police courts, which are not considered impartial or independent. There are allegations that the security forces routinely torture prisoners. There are reports of prisoners having died while in police custody. Sometimes the legal process can be delayed until the suspect can be released after the time limit for detention without trial is exceeded. Prisons are overcrowded and conditions in detention centers are "abominable".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horvitz |first1=Leslie Ann |last2=Catherwood |first2=Christopher |title=Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide |date=2006 |publisher=Infobase |page=137}}</ref> [[United Nations Human Rights Council|UN's Human Rights Council]]'s (HRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has treated the restrictions on [[freedom of expression]] and efforts to control [[NGO]]s and recommended that Ecuador should stop the criminal sanctions for the expression of opinions, and delay in implementing judicial reforms. Ecuador rejected the recommendation on decriminalization of libel.<ref name=hrw>{{cite book|url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador|title=Ecuador|chapter=World Report 2013: Ecuador |date=10 January 2013|publisher=WORLD REPORT 2013, Human Rights Watch|pages=1–3|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006120738/http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW) former president Correa intimidated journalists and subjected them to "public denunciation and retaliatory litigation". The sentences to journalists were years of imprisonment and millions of dollars of compensation, even though defendants had been pardoned.<ref name=hrw/> Correa stated he was only seeking a retraction for slanderous statements.<ref>{{cite news|title=Democracy in Ecuador|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/democracy-in-ecuador.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 February 2012|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627001406/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/democracy-in-ecuador.html?_r=0|archive-date=27 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> According to HRW, Correa's government weakened the [[freedom of press]] and [[Judicial independence|independence of the judicial system]]. In Ecuador's current judicial system, judges are selected in a contest of merits, rather than government appointments. However, the process of selection has been criticized as biased and subjective. In particular, the final interview is said to be given "excessive weighing". Judges and prosecutors that made decisions in favor of Correa in his lawsuits had received permanent posts, while others with better assessment grades had been rejected.<ref name=hrw/><ref name=Reformahasta2015>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131102052404/http://diariodigitalcentro.com/index.php/455-reforma-judicial-en-ecuador-debe-hacerse-hasta-el-2015 Reforma judicial en Ecuador debe hacerse hasta el 2015], diariodigitalcentro.com</ref> The laws also forbid articles and media messages that could favor or disfavor some political message or candidate. In the first half of 2012, twenty private TV or radio stations were closed down.<ref name=hrw/> People engaging in public protests against environmental and other issues are prosecuted for "terrorism and sabotage", which may lead to an eight-year prison sentence.<ref name=hrw/> According to [[Freedom House]], restrictions on the media and civil society have decreased since 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/ecuador |title=Ecuador |publisher=Freedom House |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123142937/http://www.freedomhouse.org:80/country/ecuador |archive-date=23 January 2012 }}</ref> In October 2022, the [[United Nations]] expressed concerns about the dire situation in various detention centers and prisons, and the human rights of those deprived of liberty in Ecuador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ecuador-un-torture-prevention-body-remains-seriously-concerned-prison-crisis|title=Ecuador: UN torture prevention body remains seriously concerned by prison crisis after second visit|accessdate=6 October 2022|website=OHCHR|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006181004/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ecuador-un-torture-prevention-body-remains-seriously-concerned-prison-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Administrative divisions=== {{Main|Provinces of Ecuador|Cantons of Ecuador}} Ecuador is divided into 24 [[Provinces of Ecuador|provinces]] ({{lang-es|provincias|links=no}}), each with its own administrative capital: [[File:Ecuador, administrative divisions - es - colored.svg|center|upright=1.5|thumb|Provinces of Ecuador]] ===Regions and planning areas=== [[File:Cascada Cabellera de la Virgen, Baños.jpg|upright|thumb|Cabellera de la Virgen waterfall in [[Baños de Agua Santa]], Tungurahua Province]] Regionalization, or zoning, is the union of two or more adjoining provinces in order to decentralize the administrative functions of the capital, Quito. In Ecuador, there are seven regions, or zones, each shaped by the following provinces: * Region 1 (42,126 km<sup>2</sup>, or 16,265 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Esmeraldas (province)|Esmeraldas]], [[Carchi]], [[Imbabura Province|Imbabura]], and [[Sucumbios]]. Administrative city: [[Ibarra, Ecuador|Ibarra]] * Region 2 (43,498 km<sup>2</sup>, or 16,795 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Pichincha (province)|Pichincha]], [[Napo (province)|Napo]], and [[Orellana Province|Orellana]]. Administrative city: [[Tena, Ecuador|Tena]] * Region 3 (44,710 km<sup>2</sup>, or 17,263 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Chimborazo (province)|Chimborazo]], [[Tungurahua (province)|Tungurahua]], [[Pastaza (province)|Pastaza]], and [[Cotopaxi (province)|Cotopaxi]]. Administrative city: [[Riobamba, Ecuador|Riobamba]] * Region 4 (22,257 km<sup>2</sup>, or 8,594 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Manabí Province|Manabí]] and [[Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas]]. Administrative city: [[Ciudad Alfaro, Ecuador|Ciudad Alfaro]] * Region 5 (38,420 km<sup>2</sup>, or 14,834 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Santa Elena Province|Santa Elena]], [[Guayas (province)|Guayas]], [[Los Ríos Province|Los Ríos]], [[Galápagos Province|Galápagos]], and [[Bolívar Province (Ecuador)|Bolívar]]. Administrative city: [[Milagro, Ecuador|Milagro]] * Region 6 (38,237 km<sup>2</sup>, or 14,763 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Cañar Province, Ecuador|Cañar]], [[Azuay]], and [[Morona Santiago]]. Administrative city: [[Cuenca (Ecuador)|Cuenca]] * Region 7 (27,571 km<sup>2</sup>, or 10,645 mi<sup>2</sup>): [[El Oro Province|El Oro]], [[Loja Province|Loja]], and [[Zamora Chinchipe]]. Administrative city: [[Loja, Ecuador|Loja]] [[Quito]] and [[Guayaquil]] are Metropolitan Districts. [[Galápagos]], despite being included within Region 5,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planificacion.gob.ec/3-niveles-administrativos-de-planificacion |title=Niveles administrativos de planificación |publisher=Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo |access-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073955/http://www.planificacion.gob.ec/3-niveles-administrativos-de-planificacion/ |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> is also under a special unit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcpec.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1047&Itemid=108 |title=Región 4 – Santo Domingo, Manabí y Galápagos |publisher=Ministry of Production, Employment and Competitiveness Coordination |access-date=20 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127225748/http://www.mcpec.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1047&Itemid=108 |archive-date=27 November 2011 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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