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Ecuador Government

What is the capital of Ecuador?

Country Name Ecuador
Full Country Name Republic of Ecuador
Local - Long Republica del Ecuador
Local - Short Ecuador
Etymology- history of name the country's position on the globe, straddling the Equator, accounts for its Spanish name
Government Type presidential republic
Capital Name Quito
Capital - geographic coordinate 0 13 S, 78 30 W
Capital Time Difference UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National Holiday Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Constitution many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008; amended 2011, 2015; note - a 2015 constitutional amendment lifting presidential term limits became effective 2017

Ecuador Capital City Map

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Ecuador Government and Politics

Who is the president of Ecuador?

Executive Branch: chief of state: President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 24 May 2017); Vice President Otto Ramon SONNENHOLZNER Sper (since 11 December 2018); note - Vice President Jorge GLAS Espinel (since 24 May 2013) was jailed for corruption and absent from office for more than 3 months, causing him to be constitutionally stripped of his office; Vice President Maria Alejandra VICUNA Munoz (since 6 January 2018) resigned from office 4 December 2018; president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 24 May 2017); Vice President Otto Ramon SONNENHOLZNER Sper (since 11 December 2018)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 19 February 2017 with a runoff on 2 April 2017 (next to be held in 2021)

election results: Lenin MORENO Garces elected president in second round; percent of vote - Lenin MORENO Garces (Alianza PAIS Movement) 51.1%, Guillermo LASSO (CREO) 48.9%
Citizenship Criteria: citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent: yes

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years
Legal System: civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in indigenous communities
Suffrage: 18-65 years of age, universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, voluntary
Legislative Branch: description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (137 seats; 116 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 15 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies for Ecuadorians living abroad by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 19 February 2017 (next to be held in 2021)

election results: percent of vote by party - PAIS 39.1%, CREO-SUMA 20.1%, PSC 15.9%, ID 3.8%, MUPP 2.7%, other 10.7; seats by party - PAIS 74, CREO-SUMA 34, PSC 15, ID 4, MUPP 4, PSP 2, Fuerza Ecuador 1, independent 3; composition - men 85, women 52, percent of women 38%; note - defections by members of National Assembly are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties
Judicial Branch: highest court(s): National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (consists of 21 judges including the chief justice and organized into 5 specialized chambers); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office: justices of National Court of Justice elected by the Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body of law professionals; judges elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the executive, legislative, and Citizen Participation branches of government; judges appointed for 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years

subordinate courts: Fiscal Tribunal; Election Dispute Settlement Courts, provincial courts (one for each province); cantonal courts
Regions or States: 24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Political Parties and Leaders: Alianza PAIS movement [Lenin Voltaire MORENO Garces]

Avanza Party or AVANZA [Ramiro GONZALEZ]

Creating Opportunities Movement or CREO [Guillermo LASSO]

Democratic Left or ID

Forward Ecuador Movement [Alvaro NOBOA]

Fuerza Ecuador [Abdala BUCARAM] (successor to Roldosist Party)

Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement or MUPP [Marlon Rene SANTI Gualinga]

Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Gilmar GUTIERREZ Borbua]

Popular Democracy Movement or MPD [Luis VILLACIS]

Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]

Socialist Party [Patricio ZABRANO]

Society United for More Action or SUMA [Mauricio RODAS]
International Law Organization Participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation: CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco Benjamin Esteban CARRION Mena(since 24 January 2018)

chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200

FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Haven (CT), New Orleans, New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Francisco
Diplomatic Representation from US: chief of mission: Ambassador Todd C. CHAPMAN (since 14 April 2016)

embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito

mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras

telephone: [593] (2) 398-5000

FAX: [593] (2) 398-5100

consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
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