Ecuadorian candidates likely to face run-off vote in tight election

World Today

Presidential candidate

Ecuador is anxiously waiting for the final results of its presidential elections. Early votes favor leftist candidate Lenin Moreno, but he may face a run-off against his center-right opponent Guillermo Lasso.

CGTN’s Dan Collyns reports.

There’s tension in Ecuador as the final election results are being tallied.

These supporters of opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso are picketing Ecuador’s electoral council, arguning elections results are taking too long and some suspect electoral fraud.

With almost 90 percent of votes counted, the results of this election are still on a knife edge.

With Moreno’s supporters claiming victory and his rival insisting there will be a runoff vote, it’s unclear when the stalemate will end.

The electoral board’s top official, Juan Pablo Pozo, said final results would only be ready in three days as votes trickle in from abroad and rural areas.

“I call on the citizens to wait for the results with calm. There are very tight margins to establish whether there will be a second round or not,” Pozo added.

He added there were “inconsistencies” in nearly 6 percent of ballots which would need to be recounted.


Eric Farnsworth on Ecuador elections

To discuss the current results of the election in Ecuador, CGTN’s Asieh Namdar spoke to Eric Farnsworth. He’s the Vice President of the Council of the Americas, a U.S. organization promoting free trade, democracy and open markets throughout the Americas.