Alianza País takes a big hit but will still have a majority in the new National Assembly

Although votes are still being counted, the influence of President Rafael Correa’s Alianza País party will be greatly reduced when new members take their seats in April.

Ecuador’s National Assembly

Alianza, which currently holds 100 of the 137 assembly seats, will have between 67 and 76 seats in the new assembly, according to estimates by the Citizen Participation Corporation (PC) and the National Electoral Council (CNE).

CREO-SUMA, the party represented by presidential challenger Guillermo Lasso, is expected to have between 24 and 32 seats, according to estimates. It will be the second largest contingent in the assembly.

Final assembly membership will be allocated based on percentages of the vote.

Former cabinet member and political analyst Wilson Peña says the new assembly will be vastly different than the current one.

“It’s not just the reduced numbers that will mean a change but the departure of Rafael Correa,” he said. “Correa ran Alianza País with an iron fist. He insisted that members follow the party line, which he alone dictated, and he allowed no dissent. If Moreno is elected president, he will give members much more latitude — in fact he has said he expects them to vote their conscience. If Lasso wins, you can expect a lot of give and take.”

Peña added: “We are entering a new era.”