Introduction - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 30

Cuy is a type of guinea pig favored as a staple
food source for centuries of indigenous
families. In pre-Columbian and even pre-Incan
times, cuy were raised in a penned-off portion
of the kitchen and simply scooped up and
“thrown into the pot” as needed.
In the Oriente, indigenous lifestyles incorporate more game hunting
than elsewhere in local cuisine. Development and loss of habitat,
however, have transformed local dishes into more agricultural and
cattle-based. As along the coast, rice, platanos , and freshwater fish
are common. Fried catfish are familiar and you may even have the
opportunity to catch and cook your own piranha . Locally grown
fruit is important in this region andmakes a refreshing meal. Other-
wise, tourist food is imported and usually combines international
dishes with traditional jungle-grown cuisine.
Government
Ecuador is a Presidential (as opposed to Parliamentary),
Unitary (as opposed to Federal) Republic. Its government
is democratic, freely elected, representative and account-
able in theory, though this is a far cry from reality. The
government is divided into Executive, Legislative and Judicial
Branches. The President is elected every four years, though very few
have completed a full term. The President appoints provincial gover-
nors. A Congressional Assembly, elected by popular mandate, pro-
duced substantial reforms to the new constitution, which entered in
force in August 1998. Now with 123 members, Congressional repre-
sentatives are also elected every four years.
Except for the cabinet and provincial governors, the government is
elected by free, secret, direct vote. Voting is a constitutional right for
all Ecuadorian citizens and is compulsory for literate Ecuadorians
under 65 years old residing in the country. Activemembers of themil-
itary do not cast their vote. Voting age is 18 years old. Voting is op-
tional for illiterate and senior citizens (over 65) and themechanism to
cast votes overseas has not been implemented. Elections are orga-
nized and supervised by an independent agency, “Tribunal Supremo
Electoral,” that is not a part of the Executive Branch. It has special
enforcement laws and is the final arbiter on electoral matters. Pri-
vate citizens are called to “electoral duty” and serve during elections.
Observers of political parties and international organizations may be
present during vote counting.