Ecuador: Political Parties & Elections

Ecuador's return to civilian rule in 1979 ushered in a multiparty democracy that has often been marked by fragmentation and frequent shifts in power. For much of the following decades, no single party consistently held a durable majority, and a series of presidents faced volatile coalitions in the National Assembly.

That pattern shifted in 2007 with the election of Rafael Correa, whose PAIS Alliance movement, often referred to as correísmo, dominated Ecuadorian politics for a decade through a combination of a new constitution, expanded social spending, and consistent electoral wins. Opposition to Correa's government coalesced around parties such as Creating Opportunities, founded by businessman Guillermo Lasso, which placed second in the 2013 presidential race before Lasso eventually won the presidency in 2021.

Correa's movement, now organized as Revolución Ciudadana, has remained the largest single bloc in the National Assembly in subsequent elections even without holding the presidency, reflecting its enduring base of support. Meanwhile Daniel Noboa's Acción Democrática Nacional party rose quickly, with Noboa winning the presidency in a 2023 snap election and again in 2025, marking one of the first extended periods in over fifteen years that a force outside correísmo has held significant power in Ecuadorian politics.