Leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno was winning Ecuador's presidential election on Sunday, first results showed, though he was just short of the margin needed to avoid a runoff against conservative ex-banker Guillermo Lasso.
Leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno was winning Ecuador's presidential election on Sunday, first results showed, though he was just short of the margin needed to avoid a runoff against conservative ex-banker Guillermo Lasso.
The winner needs 40 percent of valid votes and a 10 percentage point difference over the nearest rival to avoid a second round on April 2.
In a nail biter vote, Moreno, a disabled former vice president, pocketed 38.4 percent of valid votes versus 29.57 percent for Lasso, with some 60.8 percent of votes counted, according to the official preliminary election count.
Still, the head of the electoral council warned it was too early to call.
In the event of a runoff, Ecuador's fragmented opposition is expected to coalesce around Lasso amid anger over an economic downturn and corruption scandals, although the ruling party has strong support among the country's poor.
Argentina, Brazil, and Peru have moved towards the right recently as a commodities boom ended, weakening a leftist bloc in the region rich in oil, metals and soy.
Lasso, 61, has campaigned on a platform to revive the economy - which is dependent on exports of oil, flowers and shrimp - by slashing taxes, fostering foreign investment and creating 1 million jobs in four years.
He has also vowed to remove Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from the Ecuadorean embassy in London and denounce Venezuela's Socialist government.
Moreno, 63, who lost the use of his legs two decades ago after being shot during a robbery, has a more conciliatory style than the pugnacious President Rafael Correa and has promised benefits for the disabled, single mothers and the elderly.
Correa, one of the key figures in Latin America's leftist axis for years, has brought stability to the politically turbulent country but has aggravated many with his confrontational style.
He plans to move to Belgium with his Belgian wife after leaving office.
The new president takes office May 24 for a four-year period.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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