Our special envoy, Jorge Gestoso, provides us with the details ahead of the Ecuador general elections to happen on Sunday, February 2nd. teleSUR
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00:00Let's now welcome once more our special envoy in Ecuador, Jorge Gestoso, for all the details
00:06of what's happening ahead of the election day tomorrow in Ecuador.
00:11Welcome Gestoso again from the south.
00:13What's new?
00:14What can you tell us from there?
00:15Well, there is a new motive of concern, if you want, that is going through the social
00:30media.
00:31And one of the candidates, we're talking about Luisa, the candidate from the Revolución Ciudadana,
00:39Luisa González, that is one of the favorites, according to the polls, to win the election
00:47or at least to go to a second round, is reflecting that there are at least rumors that could
00:56be trying to put together in place a parallel voting system, sort of parallel to the CNE,
01:07the National Electoral Council, that could involve the militaries passing information
01:15to that parallel council of elections.
01:21That has been described as a major concern by Luisa González in her posting in the social
01:32media.
01:33And she says that if by any chance they will try to implement something on that matter
01:38that could be totally inconstitutional.
01:42Before that, already there has been concerns about the transparency and the way that the
01:48president candidate, Daniel Novoa, was handling this election because, for example, one of
01:55the candidates has been eliminated from the race, we're talking Mr. Topic, and that has
02:04been involved in a series of irregularities on his part that has not been proven.
02:12And he concerns, he, Mr. Topic, mentions that he is being treated unfairly to get him out
02:20of the campaign.
02:23So we are reaching the beginning of the election day tomorrow, but we have increased concern
02:32about the possibility of irregularities.
02:36That has not been confirmed, but it's going on in the air at this moment.
02:43The election day is going to end at 5 p.m. and the National Electoral Council, the CNE,
02:53says that in about 90 minutes after the closing of the polls, they could get the first tendency
03:00of what is going on, the results.
03:02So that's the latest, Luis, from here, from Quito.
03:07Mr. Gestoso, you were referring about the concern in terms of transparency.
03:12Are there any concerns?
03:13Can you tell us about security, on how the polling day will go on as this electoral campaign
03:18has been marked by loss of violence and all the denunciations of the people that have
03:24disappeared and the killing at the hands of military officials?
03:29Can you tell us anything about that?
03:31Well, that's exactly what they are smelling, that could be trouble.
03:43For example, the speculation is that those militaries involved in the security of the
03:51polling places and in the transportation of the polling information could be taking photos,
04:00could be taking pictures of that issue, and then with that information mount a parallel,
04:08again, a parallel system to count the votes, and that is the question mark until which
04:15point security is absolutely confirmed and is assured by the government, by the state,
04:22especially when the president is at the same time, one, not only the son of the richest
04:30country, the richest person in the country, but also a candidate that has been investing
04:37a lot, a lot of money, personal money, for example, $2 million only in social media in
04:44order to be present in a way that everybody that has been watching this process says that
04:54the field is not level, it's level in the favor of the candidate presidents in the war.
05:02Thank you, Gestozo, for this information coming at you from the South.
05:07We'll be in touch for an upcoming news brief to continue having the latest from Quito.