International

What should you know about the elections in Ecuador?

Photo: EFE

August 18|

Eight are the candidates of the alliances and political groups that will be facing each other in the upcoming elections in Ecuador scheduled for Sunday, August 20.

In the midst of the most violent electoral campaign in the history of that South American nation, next Sunday will be defined president, vice president, members of the National Assembly and regional and local leaders at national level.

Construye, one of the most mediatic groups after the assassination of its candidate for president, Fernando Villavicencio, ended up formulating its dupla after the atrocious fact by Christian Zurita and Andrea González for vice-president.

Likewise, the conservative side will be represented by the National Democratic Action (ADN) alliance, with Daniel Noboa for president and Veronica Abad, for vice-president.

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The group leading the “hard hand” initiative to solve the security problems in Ecuador is headed by the alliance For a country without fear with Jan Topic, for president and Diana Jácome for vice-president.

In this same line of frontal and direct attack against violence and drug trafficking is the Actuemos alliance formed by the binomial of Otto Sonnenholzner and Erika Paredes.

On the other hand, the center-right Movimiento Amigo will be represented by the duo of Bolívar Armijos for head of state and Linda Romero, for vice-president.

Xavier Hervas and Luz Marina Vega are the two members of the center-right Total Renovation Movement (RETO).

Formed by the coalition between Unidad Popular, Partido Socialista Ecuatoriano, and Democracia Sí; the Claro que se puede alliance will be led by Yaku Pérez who came third in the 2021 elections representing Pachakutik and Nory Pinela.

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Finally, the duo of Revolución Ciudadana, integrated by Luisa Gonzales and former presidential candidate, this time as vice-presidential candidate, Andres Arauz.

Polls published before August 10 placed this last duo as the favorite with more than 30 percent of the vote intention.

However, the surveys also revealed that the level of indecision is still high and it is not possible to give a clear favorite for these difficult elections.

On the other hand, the new National Assembly will have to position itself at the end of October.

This Thursday began the early elections for the 4,756 citizens enabled to exercise their right to vote, in 39 Social Rehabilitation Centers for which 62 Receiving Boards were enabled in 20 provinces.

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For Sunday, the National Electoral Council informed that the timetable for voting within the country is between 7H00 and 17H00 (local time).

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”