2017 Ecuadorian general election facts for kids

Results of the second round:
     Moreno/Glas      Lasso/Páez

Lenín Moreno won the election narrowly beating Guillermo Lasso

The 2017 general elections were a big event in Ecuador. People voted for a new President and members of the National Assembly. This election also included a vote on a referendum about tax havens.

Why the Election Happened

In Ecuador, citizens vote for their leaders. The 2017 election was held to choose a new president and new members for the National Assembly. The National Assembly is like a parliament, where laws are made.

The president before this election was Rafael Correa. He had been president for two terms. In Ecuador, a president can only serve two terms. So, Rafael Correa could not run for president again. This meant a new leader had to be chosen.

How the Election Worked

The election happened in two parts, called rounds. The first round was on February 19, 2017. Many people ran for president.

• The main candidate for the PAIS Alliance party was Lenín Moreno.
• Another important candidate was Guillermo Lasso from the Creating Opportunities party.

In the first round, Lenín Moreno got about 39% of the votes. Guillermo Lasso received about 28% of the votes. To win in the first round, a candidate needed to get at least 40% of the votes and be more than 10% ahead of the second-place candidate. Lenín Moreno was ahead by more than 10%, but he didn't quite reach 40%.

Because no one won in the first round, a second round of voting was needed. This second round was held on April 2, 2017. Only the top two candidates from the first round competed. These were Lenín Moreno and Guillermo Lasso.

Who Won the Election

In the second round, Lenín Moreno won the election. He received 51.16% of the votes. Guillermo Lasso got 48.84% of the votes. This means Lenín Moreno became the new President of Ecuador.

The election had a high turnout. In the first round, about 81.63% of registered voters participated. In the second round, even more people voted, with 82.98% of registered voters casting their ballots.

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones presidenciales de Ecuador de 2017 para niños