Polisario Front supporters engage Ecuadorian parliament amid political shifts

In Ecuador, advocates of the Polisario Front are intensifying their engagement with legislators. Recently, two members of a local organization supporting the Front held discussions with Deputy Gerardo Machado Clavijo, who serves on the Permanent Commission on Sovereignty, Integration, and Global Security.

The talks centered on potential measures the Ecuadorian Parliament could adopt to back the Polisario's stance, following President Daniel Noboa's decision on October 22, 2024, to suspend Quito's diplomatic ties with the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)."

The legislative elections held on February 9, 2025, highlighted a stark polarization within Ecuador's political arena. The Parliament is primarily controlled by two major parties: the National Democratic Action (ADN), aligned with the president, securing 67 out of 151 seats, and the Citizen Revolution Movement (MRC), a far-left faction, with 64 deputies. Gerardo Machado Clavijo is a member of the latter.

In the presidential race on October 15, 2023, Luisa González, the MRC's candidate, was defeated in the runoff by Daniel Noboa, the incumbent president of Ecuador.