Electoral council defends itself as voters head to the polls; Noboa pardons Quito policeman; Easter holiday is extended; Quito airport named best in the region

“This will be a fair and transparent election, just as other recent elections have been,” Enrique Pita, vice president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), said Friday. “The claims that we have been biased and unfair are completely without foundation.”

Pita was responding to charges from the campaigns of both Daniel Noboa and Luisa González that the CNE voting process, including vote counting, favored their opponent in the February election. “We don’t need to be watched, or threatened, or warned,” Pita said in an interview in which he expressed “alarm” at the level of distrust of the voting process.

Enrique Pita, vice president of the National Electoral Council

He added that the CNE’s 84,000 poll workers have been thoroughly vetted and will do their job “competently and professionally.” In addition, he said 508 international observers will be stationed at voting stations.

“We are like referees in a football game,” Pita said. “The one who wins always says it was in spite of the referee. The one who loses says it was because of the referee.”

Noboa pardons Quito policeman
President Daniel Noboa announced Friday he has pardoned a policeman who shot and killed two alleged thieves who attacked passengers on a Quito municipal bus. The pardons came after state prosecutors announced that the officer could be charged with homicide.

The policeman was riding the bus on March 25 when four assailants boarded and demanded money from passengers. In addition to the men killed during a brief exchange of gunfire, two others were injured

In an official statement, Noboa said the officer was performing his duty of protecting the public and should not be subject to a criminal investigation.

In its investigation of the shootings, the Quito police command said that the unnamed officers used “legitimate force to neutralize the criminals” and that the assailants were members of a criminal gang.

Easter holiday is extended
The government has decreed Thursday, April 17, as a holiday. The decree said Ecuadorians “deserve an extended holiday and four days of rest” during the Easter season. The decree applies to both private and public sector workers.

The presidential office said that private employers can decide if workers will make up lost hours but said public workers will not be required to. The statement added that public employees who provide “essential services” will remain on the job over the weekend but get time off at a later date.

In addition to providing “time for rest and reflection,” the decree said the four-day weekend will provide a boost to tourism in the country.

Quito airport again named best in South America
For the tenth time, Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport has been named the best regional airport in South America. In addition to the best “overall” rating in the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards, Mariscal Sucre was also named the cleanest.

The recognition was based on passenger surveys that asked questions about safety, customer service, efficiency, comfort and cleanliness.

Out of more than 500 terminals evaluated worldwide, Quito airport ranks 64th. The award ceremony was held during the Passenger Terminal Expo in Madrid.