Yaku Pérez Enters Cuenca’s Mayoral Race

Yaku Pérez Guartambel has been designated as a pre-candidate for mayor of Cuenca by an alliance of three national political organizations.

The coalition is made up of Unidad Popular, Izquierda Democrática, and Pueblo, Igualdad y Democracia. Pérez said the alliance also has the support of Somos Agua, an organization he created that does not yet have legal status as a political movement.

What Changed

The designation changes the emerging list of people seeking the Cuenca mayoralty. The same alliance named Sebastián Cevallos for the Azuay prefecture and María Isabel Vásconez for vice prefecture.

Pérez is an attorney who previously led Ecuarunari, served as Azuay prefect, and left that office to run for president in 2021. He also ran in Ecuador’s 2023 early election.

What It Means For Cuenca

This is still a pre-candidacy, not the final ballot. Political alliances and registrations can continue to shift before the local election process is complete.

For residents, the practical takeaway is that the mayoral field is taking clearer shape. The city’s next campaign will put familiar local issues back in focus: mobility, municipal services, neighborhood works, safety, and how Cuenca manages growth.

Cuenca already has several other announced pre-candidates, including Diego Monsalve, Juan Pablo Riquetti, Fabián Ledesma, Víctor Quito, Juan Carlos Vega, Marcelo Cabrera, Iván Abril, Juan Cristóbal Lloret, Paúl Carrasco, and Pedro Palacios.