Is Ecuador on the verge of socialism? Get to know the presidential candidates

This Sunday, Ecuadorians will go to the polls to elect the president who will complete the remaining term of the constitutional period 2021-2025. Eight candidates signed up to participate in a snap election amid an unprecedented wave of violence.

Luisa González

González, the only woman running for president, occupies first place in the polls (29.26%). The lawyer and former congresswoman represents former President Rafael Correa's leftist party, Citizen Revolution, which has alerted much of the population to the possibility of reliving the mistakes of the past, including returning to a government allegedly linked to drug trafficking and criminal gangs.

The candidate of Correísmo, who defines her movement as a "progressivism based on social justice," has chosen Andrés Arauz as her running mate, who has made it clear that their government will negotiate with and "embrace" the ten most wanted men throughout the country.

Yaku Pérez

Pérez, an indigenous Kichwa sponsored by leftist parties, is polling in second place (14.42%). The candidate had tried to run for president in the past but had decided to abandon his run and aligned himself with Guillermo Lasso when he came in third place in the election.

With a political agenda that he defines as "ecosocial," Pérez proposes policies that would defend the environment. The candidate hopes to strike a balance between a "hard hand" and an "open hand" to crime.

Otto Sonnenholzner

Sonnenholzner, an economist who served as vice president during the government of Lenin Moreno, occupies third place in the polls (12.36%).

The candidate has been widely criticized for having resigned during the pandemic when the government faced harsh criticism for how it handled the health emergency. However, some people in his circle claim that he left precisely because he was prohibited from carrying out his policies and ideas.

Jan Topic

The controversial businessman who seems to emulate Nayib Bukele (president of El Salvador) is in fourth place (9.60%). The candidate who went viral for appearing in a video smoking cannabis has been distinguished as the man who could be behind the death of Fernando Villaciencio after the latter disclosed that he had documents that proved that Topic was involved in questionable business dealings.

Christian Zurita

Recently designated as the successor of assassinated candidate Fernando Villavicencio, Zurita is touted as the option that will honor his predecessor's plans and policies based on zero negotiation with the mafias, increased social investments and improvement in intelligence protocols in the fight against crime.

Bolivar Armijos

Armijos is a lawyer for the Amigo movement, which proposes legal reforms to prevent corruption and improve the health system.

Xavier Hervas

The RETO movement was nominated by the agro-industrial production engineer Xavier Hervas, who has focused on promoting the agricultural sector and has proposed militarizing jobs and airports.

Daniel Noboa

Noboa, of the ADN alliance, is a former assemblyman and businessman who promised to implement policies to improve the fairness of the judicial system, update the minimum wage and take "legal action against corruption and mismanagement."