Key facts on Ecuador's assembly as country votes

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Ecuadoreans vote on Sunday for members of a national assembly with powers to rewrite the Andean country's constitution.

Left-wing President Rafael Correa has promised to use the assembly to curb the influence of traditional political parties and says if his party wins a majority he will dissolve Congress, which has blocked some of his key proposals.

Here are some details about the assembly:

* A former economy minister, Correa was elected last year promising to challenge the political elite who many Ecuadoreans blame for the instability that has toppled three presidents in the last decade. Opponents say Correa wants to consolidate his presidential power.

* Ecuadoreans will choose the assembly's 130 members from more than 3,000 candidates and it will have broad powers to write a new constitution. It is expected to start working on Oct. 31 and will sit for six months with a possible 60-day extension.

* All reforms will need support from a simple majority of assembly members, or at least 66 votes. A final draft of the new constitution must be approved in a referendum.

* Polls show Correa's Alianza Pais will get the most seats but it is unclear whether it will win a simple majority.

* The assembly seats will be decided by a complex system of proportional representation. One hundred members of the assembly will be elected by province and voters will pick 24 others from a national list. The remaining six will be elected by more than 140,000 registered voters living abroad.

* A draft of constitutional reforms has been drawn up by a group of academics. Among Correa's proposals are measures to reduce the influence of political parties on key institutions such as the courts, curbing central bank autonomy and creating a two-chamber legislature.