Construye opposes new foreign election; Sports betting ad ban challenged; Road rage victim wants an apology; Cuenca sets high temperature records

The Construye Movement, the party of assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, is asking the National Electoral Council to reverse its decision to hold a new National Assembly election for Ecuadorians living abroad. The CNE decided to throw out the August 20 election results due to suspected hacking of its online voting system.

National Construye Secretary Iván González claims that the CNE decision was based on a recommendation by its Special Foreign Board, which is not legally authorized to invalidate the vote. “In addition to its lack of legal standing, the board failed to provide clear evidence that hackers affected the election outcome,” says González. “The law requires irrefutable evidence of election tampering for the outcome to be dismissed.”

If the CNE decides to go ahead with a foreign revote, González says Construye will take its case to the Contentious Electoral Tribunal, the final arbiter of election disputes.

Ecuador’s LigaPro says a ban on sports betting advertising will reduce income for the country’s professional football teams.

Several election analysts believe Construye could lose two to three of its projected 25 National Assembly seats if a new foreign election is held.

Sports betting advertising ban challenged by Ecuador football league
Ecuador’s professional football league, LigaPro, is threatening to sue the government over a decision to ban advertising for betting on sporting events. “This ban not only directly affects the financial health of the football and entertainment industries but also highlights a disturbing trend on the part of the government of Guillermo Lasso regarding the sports industry,” LigaPro said in a statement.

LigaPro said advertising is essential to drive business to 26 internet betting sites authorized by the government. All bets are taxed, with most of the revenue divided among football teams.

In its statement, LigaPro said: “We will take legal action to challenge this unconstitutional and prejudicial decision for the football industry in Ecuador. We cannot allow the undermining of our constitution and the destruction of one of the few entertainments that maintain the spirit of our country.”

LigaPro said that its teams depend on funding from the betting tax and an advertising ban will “greatly reduce” their income.

The government cited a rule that forbids advertising for pornography and smuggled cigarettes and liquor in its advertising decision.

Road rage victim just wants an apology
A 65-year-old man attacked last week in a case of road rage on Av. Huayna Capac says all he wants is a personal apology from his assailant. The victim, who asked that his name not be used, told Radio Tomebamba that he is not interested in having his attacker arrested.

In the incident recorded on video last Monday [See (1) Video | Facebook], the driver of a car who attempted to merge illegally into a single lane on Huayna Capac at the Gran Colombia intersection, is seen exiting his car and hitting the victim through the driver-side window. The attacker has been identified by police through his car license plate and charges are pending.

“I understand how drivers get angry on the streets and what I want is for the man to come to me and say he is sorry for his behavior,” the victim said. “I had the right of way and did not see him until he had forced me to stop.”

Cuenca sets high temperature records
Cuenca’s Sunday high temperature of 24.5 Celsius (76 Fahrenheit) was the highest ever recorded for the month of September. The September record followed last Thursday’s all-time high for the month of August, 25C. (77F)

In addition to the monthly records, August saw nine new daily records, ranging from 24C to 25C.

Why all the new records? The short answer, say meteorologists, is sunshine. “We have had many more days of intense sunshine than normal,” says weatherman Raynaldo Ortiz. “Although August is a dry month, most days typically have cloud cover due to the interaction of air masses from the Pacific Ocean and the Amazon Jungle. “That interaction has changed this year due to warmer sea water temperatures from the El Niño forming in the Pacific. We have experienced a record number of sunshine hours for this period.”

Ortiz added that August is historically the coolest month of the year, with average high temperatures ranging from 17C (63F) to 19C (66F).