Ecuador’s telematic voting platform has been targeted by hackers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Russia, Ukraine, and China, according to the Ecuadorian National Electoral Council, leading some to doubt the legitimacy of the election.
The National Electoral Council has confirmed that votes have not been tampered with and that the attack only affected “the fluidity to access the vote.”
Political Violence in Ecuador:
Voting is mandatory in Ecuador; however, some worry that turnout may have been negatively impacted following the string of political violence within the country, most notably the assassinations of presidential candidates Pedro Briones, the leader of Ecuador’s leftist Revolución Ciudadana party, and Fernando Villavicencio, as well as the attempted assassination of a parliamentary candidate.
The Election is Coming to a Close:
The attacks come as the presidential race is coming to a close, with voting concluding on Sunday and ballots currently being counted.
To win the election, candidates need 50% of the vote, or 40% and a 10-point lead over the runner-up. A second round of elections will take place on October 15th if the cutoffs are not met.
Currently, Luisa González, a lawyer and former lawmaker running under the party of Democratic Socialists, the Citizen Revolution Movement, is leading the race at 32.81% of the vote, according to an unofficial exit poll, while Daniel Noboa, a politician for the United Ecuadorian Movement and businessman, is trailing behind with 20.46% of the vote.