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Ecuador
Women in decision-making positions
41%
Members of local deliberative bodies are women (2,328 elected women)
No woman is Head of State/Government
43%
Parliamentarians are women
42%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Spheres of government

Ecuador is a unitary republic with two spheres of government: central and local.

One tier of central government and four tiers of local government.

  • Head of State: The President of the Republic is directly elected by voters.
  • Head of Government: The President of the Republic is the Head of State and the Head of Government.
  • Legislative body: The National Assembly is a unicameral legislature composed of members directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The ministers of state are appointed by the President of the Republic.

  • Organization: Local government is organized into four tiers: an upper tier of seven regional-level local government units, the 24 provincial-level local government units, the Metropolitan District of Quito and 228 municipalities, and a lower tier of 1,359 urban/rural parish-level local government units.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for possessing law-making powers within the scope of their competences and territorial jurisdictions and approving the local budget.
  • Ministerial oversight: Ministry of Interior.

Overview of local government

Local government composition

Deliberative body: The regional council is composed of elected members. A governor is elected to preside over the regional council; the governor is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The governor is the executive of the regional level of government.

Deliberative body: The provincial council is composed of a prefect, a deputy prefect, mayors or council persons representing the cantons, and representatives elected from among the heads of rural parish boards. The prefect is elected to preside over the provincial council; the prefect is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The prefect is the executive of the provincial level of government.

Deliberative body: The metropolitan council is composed of elected members. A metropolitan mayor is elected to preside over the metropolitan council; the metropolitan mayor is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The metropolitan mayor is the executive of the Metropolitan District of Quito.

Deliberative body: The municipal council is composed of elected members. A mayor is elected to preside over the municipal council; the mayor is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The mayor is the executive of the municipality.

Deliberative body: The rural parish board is composed of elected members. A chairperson is elected to preside over the rural parish board; the chairperson is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The chairperson is the executive of the rural parish level of government.

Local government elections

Electoral system for local deliberative bodies: proportional representation (closed list) or majority/plurality (first-past-the-post)

  • Direct local elections take place at the regional, municipal, metropolitan district, and rural parish levels of government; provincial councils are composed of councilors representing the cantons and representatives elected from among the heads of rural parish boards.
  • In multi-member constituencies, voters will vote for the list of their preference. Mandates will be distributed in the order initially presented on the list.
  • In single-member constituencies, the candidate with the most votes is elected.

Electoral system for governors/prefects/mayors/chairpersons: majority/plurality (first-past-the-post)

  • The governor/prefect/mayor/metropolitan mayor is directly elected by voters using a majority electoral system.
  • The chairperson of the rural parish board is the member of the parish board with the most votes.

Source: Code of Democracy – Electoral Law, 2009 (amended through 2020), articles 119, 120, 121, 153, 154, 155, 159, 160, 162, 163 and 164

Gender quotas: Legislated candidate quotas, ranking/placement, sanctions

  • In candidate lists for multi-member constituencies, there must be parity and alternation between women and men. Lists that do not strictly maintain equity, parity, and alternation between women and men will be denied registry.

Additional quotas: Youth

  • The State guarantees and promotes the participation of young people in public service and in political organizations. Candidates for multi-person elections will incorporate a quota of young people not less than twenty-five percent (25%) in each list to be registered.

Source: Code of Democracy – Electoral Law, 2009 (amended through 2020), articles 3, 4, 94, 99, 101, 104, 105 and 167

  • Term length: 4 years
  • Last local elections: 2019
  • Next local elections: 2023

National Electoral Council

National legal framework on local government

  • Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, 2008 (amended through 2021);
  • Code of Territorial Organization - Decentralization Autonomy, 2010 (amended through 2021);
  • Code of Democracy – Electoral Law, 2009 (amended through 2020).

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Ecuador. According to Article 238 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador of 2008 (amended through 2021) “decentralized autonomous governments shall have political, administrative, and financial autonomy and shall be governed by the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity, inter-territorial equity, integration, and public participation. Under no circumstances shall the exercise of autonomy allow for secession from the national territory. Decentralized autonomous governments encompass rural parish boards, municipal councils, metropolitan councils, provincial councils and regional councils.”

The National Assembly is responsible for establishing the national legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation that regulates local government is the Code of Territorial Organization - Decentralization Autonomy of 2010 (amended through 2021), which establishes the political-administrative organization of the Ecuadorian State and the regime of the different levels of decentralized autonomous governments and the special regimes, in order to guarantee their political, administrative, and financial autonomy.

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2025.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 1 December 2025.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2025.

4. UN Women: Data on share of women Cabinet ministers as of 1 January 2025.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2023.