The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (COINAE) has selected Leonidas Iza Salazar as its pre-candidate for the presidency in the early elections to be held on August 20. The decision was taken by the “collective decision of the Enlarged Council” of the COINAE and will be formalized in a popular event in the province of Cotopaxi in the coming days.
Leonidas Iza accepted the nomination, but with certain conditions. One of them is the immediate appointment of Guillermo Churuchumbi as national coordinator of the Movement of Plurinational Unity Pachakutik (MUPP) and the dismissal of Marlon Santi, the current occupant of that position, together with the former executive committee. COINAE urged the withdrawal of “any action against the 10th congress” of the Pachakutik movement. In addition, it requested the separation from MUPP of the “former assembly members who betrayed the indigenous movement,” inviting the construction of a broad leftist project for the country.
Early elections in Ecuador will be held on August 20, and voters will elect the president, vice president, and 137 assembly members of the Parliament. The call for these elections came after President Guillermo Lasso decreed “cross death” and dissolved the National Assembly in the midst of an impeachment trial against him for alleged embezzlement. This measure not only ended the mandate of the Legislative but also shortened Lasso’s permanence in power since early legislative and presidential elections must be held.