Ecuador Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Republic of Ecuador

National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August

Type, republic

Capital: Quito

Political subdivisions: 20 provinces including Galapagos Islands

Legal system: based on civil law system; progressive new constitution passed in January 1978 referendum; came into effect following the installation of a new civilian government in August 1979; legal education at four state and two private universities; has not accepted compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction

Branches: executive; unicameral legislature (Chamber of Representatives); independent judiciary

Government leader: Leon FEBRES-CORDERO Ribadeneyra, President (since August 1984)

Suffrage: universal over age 18; compulsory for literates

Elections-parliamentary and presidential elections held January 1984; second-stage presidential election held May 1984, government and legislature took office in August 1984; an amendment to the constitution in August 1983 changed the term of office for the president from 5 to 4 years; the 59 deputies elected by the provinces serve for 2 years; the 12 at-large deputies serve for 4 years; next presidential election scheduled for 1988

Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (PSC, the party of President Leon Febres-Cordero), center-right; Popular Democracy (DP), Osvaldo Hurtado; Christian Democratic, Julio Cesar Trujillo; Democratic Left (ID), Xavier Ledesma Social Democratic, Rodrigo Borja; Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia Calderon de Castro, populist· Democratic Party (PD), Francisco Huerta, center-left Radical Liberal Party, Eudoro Loor Rivadeneira, center-right; Conservative Party, Jose Teran, centerright; Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes Bucaram, populist; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles Rigail Santistevan, center-left; Democratic Popular Movement (MPD), Jaime Hurtado, Communist; Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR), Carlos Julio Arosemena center-right; Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene Mauge, pro-Moscow Communist

Voting strength: results of May 1984 presidential runoff election—Leon Febres-Cordero of the Social Christian Party, who headed the coalition National Reconstruction Front. 52.2%; Rodrigo Borja of the Democratic Left, 47.8%

Communists: Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-Moscow, Rene Mauge—secretary general), 6,000 members; Communist Party of Ecuador/Marxist Leninist (PCMLE, independent), 6,000 members; Revolutionary Socialist Party of Ecuador (PSRE, proCuba), 100 members plus an estimated 5,000 sympathizers

Member of: Andean Pact ECOSOC, FAO, G-77,1ADR, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank IFAD, 1FC, 1HO, 1LO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPEC, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Ecuador on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ecuador 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ecuador 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.