Acting on the request of the government-aligned Prosecutor General, an electoral judge in Ecuador on Friday ordered the nine-month suspension of the country’s largest opposition party, the Citizens’ Revolution (RC ). The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) condemns the ban, which coincides exactly with the registration timeline for candidates in the 2027 local elections — effectively preventing the party from participating in the electoral process.

“The government of President Daniel Noboa, who is strongly backed by President Trump, is trying to accelerate the destruction of what is left of democracy in Ecuador,” said CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot.

In recent weeks, a series of judicial and administrative measures have been launched against the RC. Led by former president Rafael Correa, the RC is widely considered the principal opposition force in Ecuador, with the country’s largest member base and territorial presence.

“Democracy has been under attack since the presidency of Lenín Moreno (2017–2021), with not only the exclusion of political parties, but with persecution by lawfare, the imprisonment or forced exile of political opponents, and Noboa’s repeated assumption of........

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