Differences in the indigenous sector by candidates for the Presidency could be corrected in primaries

Although PK elected Yaku Pérez, Jaime Vargas and Leonidas Iza were also accepted as pre-candidates by the National Electoral Tribunal of the political group.

There are three candidates from the indigenous sector for the Presidency of the Republic.

Although, over the weekend Pachakutik (PK), a political movement with an indigenous tendency, reconfirmed Yaku Pérez Guartambel as its candidate, Leonidas Iza and Jaime Vargas, both from the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) also aspire to that position.

Cecilia Velasque, PK national deputy coordinator, commented that a national political council of the movement carried out over the weekend received the report from the National Electoral Tribunal of the group in which the three pre-candidacies are accepted.

Velasque affirmed that there is a consensus agreement with Conaie that «has not been broken», despite the fact that Pachakutik had decided Pérez’s candidacy.

Despite this scenario, she indicated that if there is no single position, the official candidate will be elected in a primary election scheduled for August 22.

The Expanded Council convened by Conaie decided to nullify the resolutions adopted during the Political Council of Pachakutik, in which the prefect of Azuay was chosen as its presidential candidate to make way for the primaries.

In a statement, Conaie announced that it supports Vargas and Iza as pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic.

The national sub-coordinator of PK added that the doors for alliances are open for the center to the left, but ruled out a dialogue with Correísmo.

She acknowledged that within the indigenous sector there is a difference, but that this does not prevent them from reaching consensus.