Politics of Ecuador
Conventional Long Form Name of country: Republic of Ecuador
Capital: Quito
Type of Government: republic
Date of Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National Holiday(s): Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Chief of State: President Rafael CORREA Delgado Head of Government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado
Capital: Quito
Type of Government: republic
Date of Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National Holiday(s): Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Chief of State: President Rafael CORREA Delgado Head of Government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado
Description of Executive Branch/Powers: the president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term and can be re-elected for another consecutive term; election last held on 17 February 2013 (next to be held in 2017)
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (137 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: highest court(s): National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (consists of 21 judges including a chief justice and organized into 5 specialized chambers); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitutional (consists of 11 judges)
judge selection and term of office: justices of National Court of Justice elected by the Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body of professionals; judges elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one-third of the judges renewed every 3 years; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly from candidates selected by the president, Supreme Court, and other government officials; judges appointed for 2-year terms
subordinate courts: Fiscal Tribunal; Superior Court (one for each province); lower provincial and cantonal courts
Suffrage:18-65 years of age, universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, optional
Ambassador to the U.S: Ambassador Saskia Nathalie CELY Suarez
embassy in the U.S.: 1050 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) in the U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Haven (CT), New Orleans, New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
U.S. Ambassador: Ambassador Adam E. NAMM
Location of U.S. embassy in Ecuador: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito
consulate(s) of the U.S.: Guayaquil
representative to UN: N/A
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (137 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: highest court(s): National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (consists of 21 judges including a chief justice and organized into 5 specialized chambers); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitutional (consists of 11 judges)
judge selection and term of office: justices of National Court of Justice elected by the Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body of professionals; judges elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one-third of the judges renewed every 3 years; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly from candidates selected by the president, Supreme Court, and other government officials; judges appointed for 2-year terms
subordinate courts: Fiscal Tribunal; Superior Court (one for each province); lower provincial and cantonal courts
Suffrage:18-65 years of age, universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, optional
Ambassador to the U.S: Ambassador Saskia Nathalie CELY Suarez
embassy in the U.S.: 1050 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) in the U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Haven (CT), New Orleans, New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
U.S. Ambassador: Ambassador Adam E. NAMM
Location of U.S. embassy in Ecuador: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito
consulate(s) of the U.S.: Guayaquil
representative to UN: N/A
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; the yellow color represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue the sky, sea, and rivers, and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice
National Symbol(s): Andean condor
International Disputes: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country
Quantity of refugees: refugees (country of origin): 122,964 (Colombia) (2012)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
Quantity of Stateless Persons:N/A
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: N/A
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)
International Disputes: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country
Quantity of refugees: refugees (country of origin): 122,964 (Colombia) (2012)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
Quantity of Stateless Persons:N/A
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: N/A
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)