Andrea González during the event in memory of Fernando Villavicencio that took place on August 11, 2023. Photo: Andrea Salazar.
Andrea González Nader, Fernando Villavicencio’s running mate, replaces him on the ballot, by decision of Construye
Andrea González Nader will replace Fernando Villavicencio as a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, this was decided by the leadership of the Construye movement, which sponsored the candidate for the assassinated politician last Wednesday.
Construye’s decision was based on the fact that Villavicencio chose González to replace him, as President of the Republic, in case he had won the position, which they seek to respect.
“Consistent with that, the governing bodies of the movement have ratified this decision and Andrea González will be registered as a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador,” the political organization said in a statement.
As specified by Construye, the measure adopted is based on article 99 of the Democracy Code, which states that the presidential candidate is a one-person candidacyTherefore, the presidential candidate will be replaced by the vice-presidential candidate, while a vice-presidential candidate will be chosen.
“The name of the vice-presidential candidate will be announced in the next few hours. and it will be chosen from among the most trusted people and who have shared the struggles of our comrade Fernando Villavicencio”, reported the political organization.
For Medardo Oleas, former vice president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the decision adopted by Construye has no legal basis, mainly because the Democracy Code establishes that candidacies, once accepted, cannot be waived, therefore, Andrea González cannot be a candidate for the Presidency of the Republicwhen she was already designated as a candidate for the Vice Presidency.
“Legally, any accepted and registered candidacy cannot be waived, so a candidate for the Vice Presidency cannot be a candidate for the Presidency,” Oleas pointed out.
For the expert, the legal option that Construye has to replace Fernando Villavicencio is to choose another person from the movement, who has not run for any dignity, which must be done before the elections, as established by the Code of Democracy.
However, for the constitutionalist José Chalco, the Build movement has another optionnot designate anyone to replace Villavicencio, with which, in case of winning the elections, Andrea González would assume the Presidency of the Republic and send a short list to the National Assembly, for the appointment of the vice president.
“Fernando Villavicencio’s candidacy should remain intact, the Democracy Code states that the political organization may replace it, but it is not an obligation, rather it is optional, if they do not want to, they do not replace it,” said Chalco.
It was unofficially known that the Construye board held talks with electoral authorities before making its decision; However, until the closing of this edition, an official pronouncement was not given on whether or not the National Electoral Council (CNE) will accept the nomination of Andrea González.
Decision produces struggle
The decision of the leadership of the Construye movement to nominate Andrea González for the Presidency of the Republic, provoked disagreement in Good Peoplea political organization that was founded by Fernando Villavicencio but that legally did not sponsor his candidacy, since it is not registered with the National Electoral Council (CNE).
According to Edwin Ortega, a member of Gente Buena, the decision to appoint González was made “unilaterally” by the Construye movement, disrespecting the alliance that existed, for which he blamed the ex-minister María Paula Romo.
The name of Ortega, to replace Fernando Villavicencio in the presidential candidacy, was proposed by the leadership of the Gente Buena movement, whose leader, Carlos Carrión, pointed out that the presidential position, which belonged to them with the murdered candidate, must be respected.