We are approaching the so-called early elections and the task of all citizens is to “prepare” ourselves to participate responsibly in the political life of Ecuador.
The fundamental question is, how are we going to prepare to elect the new rulers?
Surely no one has the recipe. We will discuss some ideas that we aspire to help us fulfill our civic duty responsibly. To carry out these activities we can use, in addition to books, social networks and journalists who have alternative programs to the mass media; Thus we look at the coin from both sides.
A starting point: In electoral processes there is a tendency to focus our attention on the people who present themselves as candidates. That is the one side of the coin. We have to look at the other side, which is the party they represent and the people who belong to the party or are around the party. It is essential to also analyze this other side of the coin.
Some ideas for analysis:
Study the history of political parties in Ecuador, both throughout the country and in the different provinces, especially the contributions and errors of the parties.
Investigate the ideological tendencies of the parties and the coherence with their political postulates.
Know the proposals, of the candidates, and analyze if they are possible to fulfill in the time that they will exercise their functions.
In addition, we provide the recommendations of Carolina Vásquez Araya in her article “How to choose a ruler”:
“A popularly elected position must be held by an ethical person capable of exercising it. In the race for political power, in addition to respect for the truth, something absolutely essential is usually lost: transparency and the ability to show an ideal profile and proof of scrutiny for the coveted position.
To start the process of electing a popularly elected ruler, it is essential to discard before selecting. That is to say, leaving aside all that individual —man or woman— whose background shows conflict with the law, acts of corruption, falsehood or breach of campaign promises in previous events, concealment of the origin of their patrimony and lack of transparency in the financing of their political propaganda. To hold a political position, ethics is an absolutely essential factor, but also the professional and technical capacity that supports it to execute it efficiently and effectively.
Voting is a declaration of trust, commitment and citizen exercise, for which reason it should never respond to coercion or the payment of a bribe. It is the most important civic act for a democracy and selling it for money, gifts or a bag of food is a betrayal against personal integrity and that of the country.
The lack of reflection in front of the suffrage is an act of negligence and has consequences”.
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