The National Electoral Council (NCE) officially inaugurated this Thursday the voting for six thousand 218 inmates authorized to vote in 42 penitentiary centers in 20 provinces of the country.

The head of the NEC, Diana Atamaint, pointed out that the technical and an operative personnel is deployed so that the process is developed in an efficient and safe way.

She explained that once the voting is finished, the packages with the ballots and other documents will be sealed and transferred under custody of the Armed Forces to the processing centers in their respective provinces.

The scrutiny will take place on Sunday, February 9, starting at 17:00 (local time), when the electoral precincts will be closed throughout the country, said the official.

She added that national and international observers will verify the transparency of prisoner’s vote.

As part of the electoral calendar, people with physical disabilities will exercise their right to vote tomorrow, and the ballots will be delivered to their homes.

Meanwhile, the 16 candidates to the presidency of Ecuador, as well as the candidates to the legislative and Andean parliament, will culminate today their campaigns prior to the general elections of next Sunday, February 9.

More than 13.7 million Ecuadorians are called to decide the future of the country through the ballot boxes next Sunday, in a context marked by power struggles and in a polarized scenario.

Violence, political tensions and accusations of manipulation mark this key process for the future of Ecuador, where the ruling party defends its permanence and the left, represented by the Citizen Revolution, seeks a change for the country after years of multiple crises.

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