The electoral campaign for the second round of the presidential elections in Ecuador on Sunday, 11 April has come to an end. The second round pits the banker Guillermo Lasso, the candidate of the capitalist oligarchy, against the candidate of the left-wing UNES, Andrés Arauz, who represents correísmo and who came first in the first round on 7 February. So far, the polls do not suggest a clear winner. 

As we reported previously, one of our leading German members, Hans-Gerd Öfinger, recently tragically passed away. We publish here two reminiscences by comrades close to Hans-Gerd, who over the course of many years experienced first-hand his invaluable role in building the forces of Marxism in the German-speaking world. They share their memories of Hans-Gerd’s life and works, which remain an inspiration to his comrades in the battles to come.