Ecuador - COOTAD: Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomies and Decentralization

Art. 1.- This Code establishes the political-administrative organization of the Ecuadorian State in the territory: the regime of the different levels of decentralized autonomous governments and special regimes, in order to guarantee their political, administrative and financial autonomy. In addition, it develops a mandatory and progressive decentralization model through the national system of competencies, the institutional framework responsible for its administration, the sources of financing and the definition of policies and mechanisms to compensate for imbalances in territorial development.