Some 13 million Ecuadorans are eligible to vote in presidential elections Sunday in which a socialist and a former banker are vying for leadership of a country besieged by deep economic problems, reports AFP.
Opinion polls show leftist economist Andres Arauz and conservative Guillermo Lasso the clear frontrunners among 16 candidates, with indigenous rights campaigner Yaku Perez in a distant third place. The vote for president and 137 members of the unicameral congress takes place as Latin America is battling a second, deadly wave of Covid-19 which has aggravated Ecuador’s economic troubles.
Campaigning ended Thursday, with both Arauz and Lasso predicting victory for their side. Arauz, 35, represents the Union of Hope (UNES) coalition of left-wing parties, while businessman Lasso, 65, is of the CREO rightwing movement. Arauz is a protege of two-time socialist president Rafael Correa, who remains a strong political force in the country despite a graft conviction that sank his hopes of campaigning to become Arauz’s deputy.