Televised debates became famous in the early sixties in the United States, when television did not yet exist in Ecuador; Later, in our presidential elections, they had great significance; Today, with these absurd laws, with these Codes of Democracy, they have almost become a graduation exam, where candidates answer prepared theses, under the supervision of the State Electoral Council (CNE), and whose possible answers have already been prepared. with their advisers, and memorized them to recite publicly. No authenticity.

The most famous debate took place in 1960 between the presidential candidates of the United States, then Senator John F. Kennedy (Democrat) and Richard Nixon (Republican), then Vice President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The former was carefully prepared, even in its physical presentation, as color television had just made its debut; The skilled vice president left work tired, sweaty, in a worn suit and attended the debate thinking he would crush the young senator with his experience. It wasn’t like that: Kennedy won the presidency of the United States.

Television was a new field for the experienced vice president. That debate was very studied; The New York Times published an analytical study that many of us swallowed. Years later, in 1968, when I was a young congressman, almost a boy, the United States Department of State invited me to observe the election campaign in which Nixon was elected president by a large majority.

Perhaps the most memorable in Ecuador occurred between two experienced politicians with long parliamentary careers, Rodrigo Borja (ID) and León Febres-Corder (PSC). The discussion was dramatic, close; In the first part, in the conceptual part, Borja stood out; Then, in the economic sphere, Febres-Cordero prevailed, and that last impression remained in the memory of the spectators. Borja, contrary to expectations, was the winner of the first round and made the mistake of going on a week’s rest; At that time, Febres-Cordero carried out a concentrated campaign in the province of Los Ríos, in a repeat of the elections that had been declared annulled; With that, the image of the loser was erased and he won the second round. Borja will win the position of president four years later.

The debate in the second round that we witnessed was of little importance, because it is only about the election of an interim president to complete the mandate of President Guillermo Lasso, who called for crucifixion to avoid being removed in the political process against him. National Assembly, where it had only a parliamentary minority. As expected, the candidate of the first political force, Luisa González, made it comfortably to the second round; and placed, against all expectations, in second place, Daniel Nobo. None of them have their own, recognized political trajectory; In this discussion they were very cautious, as if they did not want to risk what they had already achieved. It seems to me that the debate will have little influence on the final election. (OR)