European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner congratulated Ecuador Tuesday on its "peaceful and orderly" general elections held on Sunday, promising that the EU would continue to strengthen ties with the Latin American nation.
"I congratulate Ecuador and all Ecuadorians on the peaceful and orderly manner in which the general elections have been conducted last Sunday, proving again the commitment of the Ecuadorian people to democracy and the rule of law, as well as its firm determination to contribute in this framework to peace, stability and the development of the nation," said the commissioner in a statement.
"The European Commission hopes to continue to accompany Ecuador in this process and to strengthen the bilateral relationship further," she added.
The European Commission sent observers to monitor the elections, the first after the entry into force of the new Ecuadorian constitution in October 2008.
Incumbent Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was re-elected in the elections, winning 51.72 percent of the vote and becoming the first Ecuadorian president to win outright in the first round of the elections.
In the elections, Ecuadorians also voted for 124 National Assembly members, 221 mayors, 46 governors and vice governors, and 1,581 municipal councillors.