Ecuador's National Electoral Council closed candidate registration at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, August 17, for the 2027 sectional elections scheduled for November 29, 2026.
The candidate registration process was conducted online through a digital platform established by the electoral agency. Council officials noted that completing registration does not automatically guarantee that candidates will be qualified to participate in the upcoming vote.
During the candidate registration phase, the council set up 117 technical assistance desks across all provincial electoral delegations to assist political groups. The National Electoral Council, known as the CNE, serves as the administrative body overseeing electoral processes across Ecuador's 24 provinces, where voters in sectional elections choose local officials, including provincial governors and city mayors.
Document verification and legal challenges
Following the closure of the registration window at 6:00 p.m., the 24 provincial electoral boards began reviewing and verifying the documentation submitted by political organizations and their candidates. The provincial boards will determine which applicants meet the requirements set out under national electoral law.
The CNE stated that candidacies will be considered officially registered only after a qualification resolution is finalized without any pending administrative or jurisdictional challenges. Political groups and candidates will have the opportunity to submit formal objections and challenges within established deadlines once initial reviews conclude.
Decisions issued by the electoral boards can be appealed to the Electoral Contested Tribunal, Ecuador's specialized court for resolving election disputes. Under the official electoral calendar, the final list of approved candidates will be published on November 9.
Voting board selection and training
Alongside the candidacy review process, the CNE is continuing administrative and logistical preparations for the elections. The next key milestone is the selection of citizens to serve on voting reception boards, scheduled for September 2.
The voting reception boards will handle the receipt of ballots and conduct the vote counting on election day, November 29. Citizens chosen for these boards will be notified between November 4 and November 14, and must complete mandatory training between November 7 and November 29.
