The Alianza Pais candidate led the vote in first round voting, confirming his status as the favorite to succeed Rafael Correa as President of Ecuador.
With more than 72% of the votes counted, Moreno had garnered 38.66% – very close to winning in the first round. In accordance with the country’s electoral law, to avoid a second round, a candidate must win over 50% of the vote or 40%, with a margin of 10% of the next closest candidate.
Lasso, with 28.9%, was close enough to Moreno to deny him a 10% advantage, indicating that apparently a second round will be required.
More than 300 accredited international observers were stationed at polling stations to verify that no anomalies existed.
(Granma)