The politics of Ecuador are multi-party. The central government polity is a quadrennially elected presidential, unicameral representative democracy. The President of Ecuador is head of state and head of the army on a multi-party system, and leads a cabinet with further executive power. Legislative power is not limited to the National Assembly, as it may to a lesser degree be exercised by the executive which consists of the President convening an appointed executive cabinet. Subsequent acts of the National Assembly are supreme over Executive Orders where sufficient votes have been cast by the legislators. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Ecuador is also considered a constitutional republic.
The Constitution of Ecuador provides for a four-year term of office for the President, Vice-President, and members of the National Assembly with concurrent elections. Presidents and legislators may be re-elected immediately. Citizens must be at least 16 years of age to vote: suffrage is universal and compulsory for literate persons aged 18 to 65 and optional for 16 and 17 years of age and other eligible voters.
Ecuador has been characterized as a fragile democracy, with democratic backsliding under the presidencies of Rafael Correa (2007–2017) and Daniel Noboa (2023–).
Political conditions Ecuador's political parties have historically been small, loose organizations that depended more on populist, often charismatic, leaders to retain support than on programs or ideology. Frequent internal splits have produced extreme factionalism. However, a pattern has emerged in which administrations from the center-left alternate with those from the center-right. Although Ecuador's political elite is highly factionalized along regional, ideological, and personal lines, a strong desire for consensus on major issues often leads to compromise. Opposition forces in Congress are loosely organized, but historically they often unite to block the administration's initiatives and to remove cabinet ministers.
Constitutional changes enacted by a specially elected National Constitutional Assembly in 1998 took effect on 10 August 1998. The new constitution strengthens the executive branch by eliminating mid-term congressional elections and by circumscribing Congress' power to challenge cabinet ministers. Party discipline is traditionally weak, and routinely many deputies switch allegiance during each Congress. However, after the new Constitution took effect, the Congress passed a Code of Ethics which imposes penalties on members who defy their party leadership on key votes.
Beginning with the 1996 election, the more indigenous, less Spanish-rooted, ethnic groups abandoned their traditional policy of shunning the official political system and participated actively. The indigenous population has established itself as a significant force in Ecuadorian politics, as shown by the selection of indigenous representative Nina Pacari, who led the indigenous political party, Pachakutik, as Second Vice-President of the 1998 Congress.
Judicial branch
The former Supreme Court of Ecuador New justices of the Supreme Court of Ecuador were elected by the sitting members of the court. A bare majority of Congress, acting in a special session called by former President Lucio Gutiérrez in December 2004, ousted 27 of the 31 justices and replaced them with new members chosen by Congress; notwithstanding, the lack of any provisions permitting impeachment of Supreme Court justices by Congress and the specific provisions giving the Court the power to select new members. Earlier, in November 2004, Congress replaced the majority of judges on the country's Electoral Court and Constitutional Court by a similar process.
List of presidents +PresidentPeríodJosé Fernández Salvador López1830–1834José María de Arteta y Calisto1835Joaquín Gutiérrez Restrepo1836Fidel Quijano Valencia1837Víctor Félix de Sanmiguel Cacho1838José María de Arteta y Calisto1839–1840Joaquín Gutiérrez Restrepo1841Víctor Félix de Sanmiguel Cacho1842José María de Arteta y Calisto1843Joaquín Gutiérrez Restrepo1844Luis De Saá1845Víctor Félix de Sanmiguel Cacho1846–1847Salvador Ortega Estacio1848Pedro José de Arteta y Calisto1849Miguel Alvarado1850Pedro José de Arteta y Calisto1851Pablo Vásconez Román1852Antonio Bustamante del Mazo1853Miguel Alvarado1854Ramón Borja1855Carlos Tamayo1856Antonio Bustamante del Mazo1857Nicolás Espinosa1858Manuel Carrión1859Ramón Miño1860Pedro José de Arteta y Calisto1861Ramón Miño1862Antonio Gómez de la Torre1863Carlos Tamayo1864Pedro José de Arteta y Calisto1865Ramón Miño1866Antonio Muñoz1867Luis A. Salazar1868Manuel Checa1869Pablo Herrera González1869Ramón Miño1870Nicolás Martínez1871Rafael Carvajal Guzmán1872Luis A. Salazar1873Rafael Quevedo1874Pablo Herrera González1875Pedro Fermín Cevallos1876Julio Castro1877Antonio Muñoz1878Antonio Portilla1879Francisco A. Arboleda1880Vicente Nieto1881León Espinosa de los Monteros1882Vicente Nieto1883–1885Pedro Fermín Cevallos1886Pedro J. Cevallos y Fernández Salvador1886Alejandro Ribadeneira Salazar1887Julio Castro1888Antonio Robalino1889Luis A. Salazar1890Julio Castro1891Antonio Portilla1892José Modesto Espinosa1893Vicente Nieto1894José Modesto Espinosa1895Francisco J. Montalvo1896León Espinosa de los Monteros1897Vicente Nieto1898Manuel Montalvo1899José María Borja1900Belisario Albán Mestanza1901Leopoldo Pino1902Manuel Benigno Cueva Betancourt1903Belisario Albán Mestanza1904Leopoldo Pino1905Belisario Albán Mestanza1906Manuel Montalvo1907Pacífico Villagómez1908Alejandro Cárdenas1909Belisario Albán Mestanza1910Pacífico Villagómez1911Belisario Albán Mestanza1912Alejandro Cárdenas1913Francisco Andrade Marín1914Leopoldo Pino1915Manuel Eduardo Escudero1916Alejandro Cárdenas1917Leopoldo Pino1918Alejandro Cárdenas1919Belisario Albán Mestanza1920Leopoldo Pino1921Modesto A. Peñaherrera1922José María Ayora Cueva1923Manuel Eduardo Escudero Viteri1924Leopoldo Pino1925José Luis Román1925Modesto A. Peñaherrera1926José María Ayora Cueva1927Manuel Eduardo Escudero Viteri1928Manuel R. Balarezo1929Francisco Pérez Borja1930Pablo N. Roldán1931Manuel Eduardo Escudero Viteri1932Manuel María Borrero González1932José Antonio Baquero de la Calle1933Camilo Octavio Andrade López1934Vicente Enríquez Andrade1935Alejandro Ribadeneira Salazar1936Camilo Octavio Andrade López1937Benjamín Terán Coronel1939Camilo Octavio Andrade López1940Belisario Ponce Borja1941Celio Enrique Salvador Quintana1942Leoncio Patiño Carrión1943Aurelio A. Bayas Argudo1944Belisario Ponce Borja1945José María Suárez M.1946Belisario Ponce Borja1947Alejandro Ribadeneira Salazar1948Camilo Gallegos Toledo1949José María Villagómez Román1950Benjamín Cevallos Arízaga1951Luis F. Madera Negrete1952Manuel Elicio Flor Torres1953Alfonso Mora Bowen1954Camilo Gallegos Toledo1955José María Villagómez Román1956Benjamín Cevallos Arízaga1957Luis Eladio Benítez Jara1958Manuel Elicio Flor Torres1959Benjamín Cevallos Arízaga1960Camilo Gallegos Toledo1961José María Villagómez Román1962Francisco Montero Carrión1963Francisco Ochoa Ortiz1964Julio Tobar Donoso1965Francisco Páez Romero1965Arturo del Pozo Saltos1966Francisco Ochoa Ortiz1967Julio Tobar Donoso1968Benjamín Cevallos Arízaga1968Ricardo Cornejo Rosales1969César Durango Montenegro1970Rafael Terán Varea1971Miguel Aguirre Sánchez1972Tomás Valdiviezo Alba1973Carlos A. Jaramillo Andrade1974–1975Luis Jaramillo Pérez1976César Durango Montenegro1977Gonzalo Karolys Martínez1978–1979Armando Pareja Andrade1979–1981Gonzalo Zambrano Palacios1981–1983Carlos Pozo Montesdeoca1983–1984Gonzalo Córdova Galarza1984–1986Germán Carrión Arciniegas1986–1987Juan Agustín Quinde Burneo1987–1988Ramiro Larrea Santos1988–1990Walter Guerrero Vivanco1990–1993Francisco Acosta Yépez1993–1995Miguel Macías Hurtado1995Carlos Solórzano Constantine1995–1997Héctor Romero Parducci1997–2000Galo Pico Mantilla2000–2002Armando Bermeo Castillo2002–2004Hugo Quintana Coello2004Ramón Rodríguez Noboa2004–2005Guillermo Castro Dáger2005Jaime Velasco Dávila2005–2008Roberto Gómez Mera2008
Reorganization of Court (2008) After the adoption of a new Constitution in 2008, the judicial branch of the country was completely renewed to provide a cooperative leadership by having a judicial and an administrative head. As such, the bodies of Ecuador's judicial branch now consisted of the National Court of Justice, provincial courts (created by the National Court), tribunals and judges, National Council of the Judicature, Public Defendants' Office, and State Attorneys' Office. The 2008 Constitution also led to the creation of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador.
National Court of Justice The National Court of Justice seats 21 judges elected for a period of 9 years. They are elected by the Judiciary Council based on a merits contest held by that office. They are the final stage of any judicial process serving as a Court of Cassation and create binding precedent based on Triple Reiterative Rulings from the Chambers of the Court. The President of the Court is elected among the members of the Court for a Period of three years, representing the Judicial Branch before the State.
List of presidents +PresidentPeriod José Vicente Troya Jaramillo 2008–2011 Carlos Ramírez Romero2011–20122012–20152015–2018Paulina Aguirre Suárez2018–present
Judiciary Council The administrative branch of the judicial power consists of the Judiciary Council. The Council is formed by 9 Vocals who are elected by the Branch of Transparency and Social Control, which is formed by the Control Authorities of the State. The Vocals are elected also by a merits contest and it shall be formed by six experts in law and 3 experts in management, economics and other related areas. However, after the National Referendum that took place on 5 May 2011 led to the passing of a proposition impulsed by the government, the Judiciary Council changed its formation by making a constitutional amendment. Currently, a Tri-Party Commission is serving as a Transitional Council with delegates from the Legislative, Executive and Transparency Branch, in order to reform the broken judicial system of the country.
Constitutional Court of Ecuador The Constitutional Court of Ecuador does not exercise legal revision, but rather constitutional control of situations where constitutional rights are violated. Also they are the sole body in the State to interpret what the Constitution says.
List of presidents +PresidentPeríodPatricio Pazmiño Freire2008–2015Alfredo Ruiz Guzmán2015–2018Hernán Salgado Pesántes2019–2024Daniel Noboa2025–present As of 2025, the court has the following members:
Jhoel Escudero Soliz Karla Andrade Quevedo Jorge Benavides Ordoñez Alejandra Cárdenas Reyes Raul Llasag Fernández Alí Lozada Prado Richard Ortiz Ortiz Claudia Salgado Levy Jose Luis Terán Suarez
Executive branch
Structure The executive branch includes 28 ministries. Provincial governors and councilors, like mayors, aldermen and parish boards, are directly elected. Congress meets throughout the year except for recess in July and December. There are 20 seven-member congressional committees.
Presidency The President and Vice-President are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term.
Controversy surrounding Lucio Gutiérrez On 20 April 2005, by an act of Congress, Lucio Gutiérrez was dramatically removed from office. The last election was held on 20 October 2002 and a runoff election on 24 November 2002 (with the next one to be held in 2006 per the four-year term limits).
Former Vice-President Alfredo Palacio assumed the presidency on 20 April 2005 after Congress removed Lucio Gutiérrez amid escalating street protests precipitated by growing criticism of Gutiérrez's Supreme Court appointments.
Presidency of Rafael Correa