Ecuador sets electoral spending limits for Quito mayor and Pichincha prefect candidates

Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) has announced the maximum private spending limits for candidates vying for office in the upcoming sectional and Cpccs elections scheduled for November 29, 2026. The figures aim to regulate campaign expenditures for various positions, including mayors and prefects.

For the race to become Quito's mayor, candidates are capped at spending $827,136. This limit applies to the capital city, which has a total of 2,067,840 registered voters. In the Pichincha province, candidates for the prefect position, representing 2,408,780 electors, face a maximum spending limit of $722,634.

The CNE calculates these limits by multiplying $0.30 by the number of registered citizens within each jurisdiction. This formula applies to candidates for prefect and vice-prefect, metropolitan and municipal mayors, and council members. Special considerations are in place for the Amazon region provinces, where the maximum spending limit will increase by 30% due to unique geographical characteristics.

Additional rules are in effect for mayoral candidates, with a calculation of $0.40 per registered voter. For cantons with fewer than 35,000 registered voters, the spending limit is no less than $20,000. In smaller cantons with under 15,000 registered voters, the minimum limit is $5,000. The CNE has yet to establish the Electoral Promotion Fund, which provides equal resources for advertising across media platforms to qualified candidates.