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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

February 27, 2025

How Will Ecuador’s Indigenous Voters Swing the Election?

Leonidas Iza, the candidate of Indigenous political party Pachakutik, came in third in the country’s presidential race. His supporters could be pivotal in the April runoff. // File Photo: Ecuadorean National Assembly via Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0.

Q

  • In Ecuador’s Feb. 9 general election, Leonidas Iza, the candidate of Indigenous political party Pachakutik, finished third in the presidential race with 5.3 percent of the vote. The party also secured nine seats in the National Assembly, an increase of four seats. Indigenous voters now represent the largest uncommitted voting block ahead of Ecuador’s presidential runoff election on April 13 between incumbent President Daniel Noboa and former lawmaker Luisa González. Which candidate in Ecuador’s presidential runoff is best positioned to draw support from the country’s Indigenous communities? What issues are most important to Indigenous voters in Ecuador? How is Pachakutik likely to use the political capital it gained in the Feb. 9 election?

A

John Polga-Hecimovich, associate professor of political science at the United States Naval Academy: “Heading into the April runoff election, Pachakutik is in the enviable position of kingmaker. Not only could an endorsement from Leonidas Iza prove decisive in the tight presidential race, but Pachakutik’s legislative bloc will enable it to ally either with Noboa’s Democratic National Action Party or González’s Citizens’ Revolution to obtain a legislative majority. This provides Iza with enormous leverage to pursue a policy agenda beneficial to Pachakutik supporters and the Indigenous movement. Iza is a career politician and recognizes his power. Although he has fiercely criticized both of the runoff candidates in the past and initially indicated that he would not endorse either candidate, he has since…”

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