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Ecuador reference library
Background guides to Ecuador’s politics, economy, history, environment and everyday life.
Evergreen context for understanding the people, institutions and issues behind the news.
Government & Politics
39 articles
Ecuador’s National Assembly approved a new Civil Aviation Bill on September 24, 2026. Here is what the Assembly-approved text would change, what it does not guarantee, and why it is not yet the final law in force.
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Abelardo De La Espriella is now Colombia’s president. How the earthquake, reconstruction, security shift, trade and energy decisions could affect Ecuador and the shared border.
Read explainer →The return of former interior minister José Serrano to Ecuador has renewed attention on the unresolved question behind one of the country’s most consequential political crimes: Who ordered the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio?
Series: Criminal cases · Part 1
Read explainer →The Triple A case is a criminal prosecution concerning the alleged diversion and illegal sale of Ecuador’s subsidized fuel. It involves Aquiles Álvarez, the mayor of Guayaquil; other individuals; and six companies, several connected with Álvarez’s family and its fuel-distribution businesses.
Series: Ecuador Legal System · Part 6
Read explainer →The Goleada case is a major money-laundering investigation involving Aquiles Álvarez, the mayor of Guayaquil; members of his family; and several companies connected with their fuel-distribution businesses.
Series: Ecuador Legal System · Part 5
Read explainer →Michele Sensi-Contugi Ycaza was an Italian-Ecuadorian businessman, senior government official and one of President Daniel Noboa’s closest political allies. He was 44 when he and his wife, Ecuadorian fashion designer Stephany Hollihan, died in a tourist-helicopter crash in northern Kenya on August 19, 2026.
Read explainer →In Ecuador, announcing a campaign does not make someone an official candidate. The person must first be chosen and sponsored by a registered political organization, then complete a formal review by the electoral authorities. A candidacy becomes official only when the approving resolution is final.
Series: Understanding Ecuador's government · Part 1
Read explainer →Luisa González is in the news because she wants to run for prefect of Manabí under Pachakutik, but an electoral report says she has not belonged to Pachakutik for the two years required by the movement’s own rules. The recommendation could block her candidacy, but no final decision has been made.
Series: Ecuador-politics · Part 5
Read explainer →Caso Progen is a major Ecuador public-contracting scandal involving emergency electricity contracts signed during the 2024 power crisis.
Read explainer →Amawtay Wasi is Ecuador’s public intercultural university for Indigenous nationalities and peoples. Its full name is Universidad Intercultural de las Nacionalidades y Pueblos Indígenas Amawtay Wasi. In Kichwa, “Amawtay Wasi” is commonly understood as a “house of wisdom” or a place of knowledge.
Read explainer →Palantir Technologies is a U.S. software company that builds platforms for data integration, analysis, AI-assisted decision-making, and operational coordination. Its best-known government platform is Gotham, used in defense, intelligence, policing, and public-sector operations. Its broader enterprise platform, Foundry, is used to connect data across organizations, and its newer AIP — Artificial Intelligence Platform…
Read explainer →The SUCRE was not the old Ecuadorian sucre currency. It was the Sistema Unitario de Compensación Regional de Pagos — a regional payment-clearing system created within the ALBA-TCP bloc to settle trade among member countries without using U.S. dollars directly in every transaction. Ecuador joined during the government of Rafael Correa, when regional integration with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, and Nic…
Read explainer →To understand Ecuador's political landscape in 2026, it’s helpful to view it as a battle between established traditional movements and a new, dominant "Noboa-ist" center-right. The following table breaks down the key players currently shaping the National Assembly and the executive branch. Primary Political Forces in Ecuador (2026) Party / MovementKey LeaderPolitical SpectrumPower & PopularityAcción Democrática Naci…
Read explainer →The relationship between Ecuador and Colombia has reached a critical historical low in April 2026. This friction is not just about a single event, but a deep ideological and personal clash between two leaders who represent opposite ends of the political spectrum. 1. The Present Situation: The Breaking Point As of April 8–9, 2026, Ecuador has officially recalled its ambassador, Arturo Félix Wong, from Bogotá. The imm…
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As of February 19, 2026, the United States and Ecuador have substantially concluded negotiations for the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART). This bilateral pact marks a transition from unilateral trade preferences to a formalized, two-way market access framework. The following is an informative summary of the agreement's primary provisions and the associated economic trade-offs. 📈 Strategic Pros (Benefits) 1. Tarif…
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It’s a intense situation in Guayaquil right now. To help you get a clear picture of what’s happening, here is a breakdown of the recent fires and the national government’s intervention. The "Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why" What happened? A series of major fires has struck Guayaquil, the most devastating being a massive blaze at the Multicomercio building in the city center. The fire was so intense that it caus…
Read explainer →To understand the trade war currently unfolding between Ecuador and Colombia, you have to understand the man on the other side of the border. Gustavo Petro is not just Colombia’s president; he is the most significant ideological shift in Colombian history. Here is an exploration of who Petro is, his "guerrilla to president" history, and why his friction with Daniel Noboa was almost inevitable. 1. The Background: Fro…
Read explainer →ENGLISH What happened The “Las Malvinas” case refers to the forced disappearance of four boys (ages 11–15) from the Las Malvinas neighborhood in southern Guayaquil, during a period when Ecuador intensified military-led security operations. Prosecutors say the boys were detained during an operation and then disappeared; later, authorities confirmed the boys had died. (Reuters) Key timeline Dec 2024: The boys disappea…
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When Ecuadorians talk about Rodrigo Borja Cevallos, you’ll often hear two things in the same breath: “a democratic, institutional politician” and “a president who governed in a really hard economic moment.” Both can be true—because the late 1980s and early 1990s were a tough stretch for Ecuador, even by Ecuador standards. Borja served as President of Ecuador from August 10, 1988 to August 10, 1992, as leader of the…
Read explainer →Explainer: Ecuador’s “Triple A” case (ongoing) First, a quick clarification because the name causes constant confusion: the “Caso Triple A” (fuel case) is not the “Plan Triple AAA” drinking-water project in Portoviejo. They’re unrelated topics that happen to share a similar nickname. (Fiscalía General del Estado) ENGLISH What is it? The “Caso Triple A” is a criminal case led by Fiscalía General del Estado investigat…
Read explainer →Ecuador Family Law for Immigrants Marriage, unión de hecho, divorce, children, and inheritance (including wills) — with Canada comparisons Ecuador is a civil-law country: family rules come mainly from written codes and the Constitution, and procedures/formalities matter a lot. Canada is bijural: most provinces use common law, Quebec uses civil law for private matters, and federal law applies nationwide in areas like…
Series: Ecuador Legal System · Part 3
Read explainer →Civil-Law Disputes in Ecuador (Contractors, Car Repairs, Services) — An Immigrant Explainer with Canada Comparison This explainer focuses on everyday civil disputes immigrants often face in Ecuador: a contractor who didn’t finish work, a remodel gone wrong, a mechanic who “fixed” the car but the problem returned, a deposit not returned, or a service you paid for that wasn’t delivered as promised. It also adds a prac…
Series: Ecuador Legal System · Part 2
Read explainer →Ecuador’s Legal System — an Immigrant-Friendly Explainer (with Canada comparison) Audience: Immigrants/expats who are used to other legal systems (especially Canada).Scope: A practical overview of how Ecuador’s system generally works, with extra clarity on denuncias and the police–prosecutor relationship. 0) The “30-second” big picture Ecuador is a civil-law country: the main rules are found in written laws and code…
Series: Ecuador Legal System · Part 1
Read explainer →Here’s a clear, date-anchored explainer of the Ecuador–Chevron case and where it stands as of today.Dec 11 2025 1. What is “the Chevron case” in Ecuador? It’s a pair of intertwined legal battles: Lago Agrio / UDAPT case (Ecuadorian courts vs. Chevron)– Amazonian communities sued over massive oil contamination from Texaco’s operations (1964–1992).– They won a US$9.5 billion judgment in Ecuadorian courts, which Chevro…
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