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Ecuador: Government

Key Figures

Chief of State:
President Daniel NOBOA Azin
Head of Government:
President Daniel NOBOA Azin

Overview

Government Name:
Republic of Ecuador
Constitution:
Adopted: 2008; First constitution in the world to legally recognize the Rights of Nature. Basic constitutional guidelines regarding rights, constitutional guarantees, territorial organization of the state, development structure, and the good way of living system are outlined. Also discussed are international investment, food sovereignty, and drug liberalization.
Government Type:
Republic
Republic of Ecuador Flag
Coat of Arms of Republic of Ecuador

Index of Economic Freedom

Grades each country on a scale of 0 to 100, based on ten freedoms, with 100 representing the greatest amount of economic autonomy from government intervention. Source: Heritage Foundation (2023)

Country Risk Rating

C
A very uncertain political and economic outlook and a business environment with many troublesome weaknesses can have a significant impact on corporate payment behavior. Corporate default probability is high. Source: Coface (2023)

Government Branches

Main Powers Election Process Election Cycle 1
Executive

The executive branch includes 28 ministries. The president serves as both the head of state and head of government. The vice president succeeds the president in turbulent political situations.

The president is elected by majority vote through a two-round system.

4 years
Judicial

The supreme court is independent of the executive and legislative branches.

Justices of the national court of justice are elected by the judiciary council with one-third of the judges renewed every 3 years. The constitutional court judges are appointed by the national assembly from candidates selected by the president, supreme court, and other government officials.

National Court of Justices: 9 year non-renewable terms; Constitutional Court Judges: 4 year terms

Legislative

The national assembly has the power to pass laws, while the appointment of judges to the national court of justice is done by a separate judicial council.

The national congress has 15 members who are elected through an open-list proportional representation system, 116 members who are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies, and 6 members who are elected by majority vote in mullti-member constituencies.

4 years

Regional Trade Blocs
CAN

International Organization Participation [2]

Environmental Agreements [3]

Tax Information [2]

Tax Authority:
Ecuadorian Internal Revenue Service
Tax Name:
VAT

Sources:

  1. ElectionGuide http://www.electionguide.org/
  2. EY, http://www.ey.com
  3. CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
  4. U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/