Lasso confirms his third presidential bid

Guillermo Lasso, who narrowly lost to Lenin Moreno in the 2017 presidential election, announced Friday that he will be a candidate in the February 2021 election. Lasso, a centrist-conservative, was also defeated by former president Rafael Correa in 2013.

Guillermo Lasso

The announcement, made during a Radio Quito interview, comes as no surprise since Lasso said he would probably run again following his 2017 defeat.

“Ecuador’s economy has deteriorated in the last three years because of weak, ineffective leadership and it is time for new ideas,” Lasso said. “The main problem is a lack of decent employment, with six out of 10 Ecuadorians either unemployed or underemployed. We have a crisis in labor policy, working conditions and informal employment and my campaign will address these issues.”

Lasso is the leader of the Creo political movement, which has challenged and Correa’s and Moreno’s Alianza Pais party over the past decade. Lasso, a former Guayaquil bank president, said he is relocating to Quito to “better understand” political issues to build his political base.

A recent poll showed Lasso in second place among potential 2021 presidential contenders, trailing former Guayaquil mayor Jaime Nebot.