ELECTIONS HELD IN 1998
<<< Return to the Historical Archive page of parliamentary election results for ECUADOR <<<
| Chamber: | |
| Congreso Nacional | |
|
|
| 31 May 1998 | |
|
|
| Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. | |
|
|
| Following the previous (May 1996) general elections, President of the Republic Abdala Bucaram Ortiz was removed from office by Congress nine months later on grounds of mental incapacity. Mr. Fabian Alarcon Rivera thereupon took his place as caretaker Head of State until the May 1998 poll, which was held simultaneously with voting for Congress, provincial and local councillors.
The leading contestants of the six (including two women) vying for the presidency were Mr. Jamil Mahuad (Popular Democracy - DP), the mayor of Quito, and Mr. Alvaro Noboa (Roldosista Party of Ecuador - PRE), a wealthy businessman. Campaign debate was marked by personal accusations of drug links and threatened lawsuits between the two rivals alongside statements on substantive policy questions relating primarily to corruption and the country’s ailing economy. Problems in this latter sector (high inflation, budget deficit) had been aggravated by the sociological and infastructural damage caused by the climatic phenomenon known as El Niño and the worldwide drop in oil prices, Ecuador’s main export earner. Mr. Mahuad advocated an intense program of private investment to achieve a 5% annual growth rate, privatizations, job creation and housing construction. On polling day, Mr. Mahuad and Mr. Noboa emerged on top, going into the second round of 12 July. At the same time, the centrist DP was victorious in the expanded Congress of 121 seats (20 national and 101 provincial Deputies), up from the former 82 (12 national and 70 provincial). Capturing a total of 33 seats, it replaced the center-right Social Christian Party (PSC) - which had not fielded a presidential candidate - as leading congressional group; the latter obtained 28 seats to 22 for the populist PRE. Mr Mahuad won the runoff election and was sworn in as the new President on 10 August; the majority of the new Cabinet members were independents. |
|
STATISTICS
| Round no 1 (31 May 1998): Elections results | |
| Number of registered electors | 7,072,496 |
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes | |||
| Political Group | Votes | ||
| Popular Democracy (DP) | 669,473 | ||
| Social Christian Party (PSC) | 839 567 | ||
| Roldosista Party of Ecuador (PRE) | 628,265 | ||
| Democratic Left (ID) | 544,088 | ||
| New Country Movement (MNPP) | 325,365 | ||
| Alfarista Radical Front (FRA) | n.a. | ||
| Conservative Party (PC) | 184,048 | ||
| Popular Democracy Movement (MPD) | 151,096 | ||
| Independents | n.a. | ||
| Others | n.a. | ||
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | |||
| Political Group | Total | National deputies | Provincial deputies |
| Popular Democracy (DP) | 33 | 4 | 29 |
| Social Christian Party (PSC) | 28 | 5 | 23 |
| Roldosista Party of Ecuador (PRE) | 22 | 4 | 18 |
| Democratic Left (ID) | 17 | 3 | 14 |
| New Country Movement (MNPP) | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Alfarista Radical Front (FRA) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Conservative Party (PC) | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Popular Democracy Movement (MPD) | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Independents | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Others | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Comments: | |
| The number of votes refer only to the national deputies | |
| Distribution of seats according to sex: | |
| Men: | 100 |
| Women: | 21 |
Copyright © 1998 Inter-Parliamentary Union