National Electoral Council (Ecuador)

National Electoral Council

Consejo Nacional Electoral
CNE headquarters, Quito
Abbreviation	CNE
Predecessor	Tribunal Supremo Electoral
Formation	24 October 2008;17 years ago (2008-10-24)
Founder	2008 Constitution of Ecuador
Type	Government agency
Headquarters	Av. 6 de Diciembre
Location	Quito , Ecuador
President	Diana Atamaint
Vice-President	Enrique Pita García
Three additional council members	José Cabrera Zurita, Esthela Acero Lanchimba, Elena Nájera
Website	https://cne.gob.ec/

The National Electoral Council (Spanish : Consejo Nacional Electoral, CNE) is the government agency responsible for organising elections in Ecuador. ^[1] It was established by Articles 218 and 219 of the 2008 constitution to replace the Supreme Electoral Court (Tribunal Supremo Electoral, TSE). ^[2]

It is composed of five council members who serve six-year terms. ^[1] As of 2023, its president is Diana Atamaint. ^[3]

History

Since 1945, Ecuador has had an independent electoral body whose appointments were influenced by the National Congress. This body, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), was responsible for the country's electoral processes. However, it faced serious difficulties starting in 2003 under Lucio Gutiérrez, with changes to the TSE's board made by legislative majorities that ultimately led to Jorge Acosta of the Patriotic Society party becoming president of the organization. As president, he would be one of the key figures in the 2007 legislative crisis, in which a power struggle between the TSE and Congress led to the removal of the legislators involved in the "packaging plant" scandal and a new referendum that resulted in the convening of a Constituent Assembly.

The new Constitution created two new bodies to replace the TSE: the Contentious Tribunal and the National Electoral Council. Following the approval of the new Constitution, the Constituent Assembly elected and swore in the new councilors on October 24, 2008: Omar Simon, Carlos Cortez, Manuela Cobacango, Fausto Camacho, and Marcia Caicedo. The first two would serve as president and vice president, respectively, of the new Transitional National Electoral Council (CNE). ^{[4] [5]}

References

1. "Consejo Nacional Electoral". Proyecto Latinno. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
2. "Historia de la Función Electoral". Consejo Nacional Electoral. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
3. "Diana Atamaint – Presidenta". Consejo Nacional Electoral. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
4. Tiempo, El (27 October 2008). "Omar Simon, presidente del Consejo Nacional Electoral". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
5. Oñate, Sara; Noboa, Adriana (20 January 2015). "La historia del CNE desde sus inicios en 2008". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 December 2025.