MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Moreno’s opponent Guillermo Lasso, a candidate from Ecuador's opposition Creo-Suma alliance, is said to have got 48.96 percent of votes.

Following the announcement of results Lasso said that opposition may demand vote recount.

Moreno, the Ecuador's former vice-president, was the leading candidate following the first round of the election that was held in February. At the time no candidate gained 50 percent of votes which is necessary to win at the first round of the election. </s> Leftist Lenin Moreno crossed his fingers Monday for outright victory in Ecuador's presidential vote as impatience grew over a delay in publishing full results that could force a runoff.

Sunday's election was a test of the legacy of outgoing President Rafael Correa, Moreno's more hardline ally and an outspoken critic of the United States.

Moreno, 63, hoped to top 40 percent of the vote with a 10-point lead. That would spare him a runoff that polls indicate he may well lose.

But with nearly 89 percent of the votes counted, he was still short with 39.13 percent, against 28.31 percent for his conservative competitor, Guillermo Lasso.

The president of the National Electoral Council, Juan Pablo Pozo, said it could take until Thursday for the full results to be confirmed.

Supporters of Lasso scuffled with police as they gathered outside the electoral council to demand transparency in the vote-count, with some of them alleging fraud.

Pozo urged voters to "wait peacefully for the official results, since there is a narrow margin to determine whether there will be a second round."

Moreno called for his Country Alliance party to "cross our fingers" for a first-round victory.

"I like big challenges, strong challenges, and I am going to get through this one," he said on television.

But ex-banker Lasso vowed: "We will not rest until we achieve a definitive victory for the Ecuadoran people, who want change."

Pozo said some of the ballots were taking time to be counted due to "anomalies" such as missing signatures from polling station officials.

He said he would hold a meeting with the two candidates to explain the delay in confirming the results, "to avoid any suspicions."

Analysts said voters fed up with Correa are likely to rally behind the conservative candidate in the second round.

"Any party could beat the governing one in the second round, because there is major resistance to, and rejection of, the government," said political scientist Paolo Moncagatta of Quito's San Francisco University.

If Moreno wins he will be the first wheelchair-user to become president in Ecuador, and one of few world leaders ever to do so.

His legs were paralyzed when he was shot in a robbery in 1998.

If ex-banker Lasso wins the presidency, another pillar of the Latin American left will swing to the right.

Lasso has also said he will end WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's asylum in Ecuador's London embassy.

Assange is taking refuge there for fear of extradition to the United States for publishing leaked documents that embarrassed Washington.

The busting of a commodities boom has hastened the end of two decades of leftist predominance in Latin America.

After Argentina, Brazil and Peru switched to conservative governments, economist Correa, 53, is now reaching the end of 10 years in power.

He initially oversaw a boom in the country of 16 million people, but the economy shrank 1.7 percent last year.

"The big factor in the vote was the economic crisis," said Alberto Acosta-Burneo, a consultant at the Spurrier Group.

Lasso slammed Correa's allies over alleged links to corruption. Correa blamed Lasso in part for a 1999 financial crisis when he was economy minister.

Voters were deciding whether to continue Correa's tax-and-spend policies or give Lasso a mandate to cut spending and taxes.

Correa used Ecuador's oil wealth to fund social welfare schemes and public works.

But oil prices have plunged over the past three years.

Teacher Sofia Tinajero, 32, said she ended her support for Correa's side in this election and voted for a change.

"I have witnessed authoritarianism and a very great social decline," she said.

But another voter, Nora Molina, 53, said "these past 10 years have shown how the country has advanced. I think we are going to keep that going." </s> Ecuadorean exit polls put ruling party leftist Lenin Moreno clearly ahead in Sunday’s presidential election, although it was unclear whether he had enough votes to avoid an April runoff against conservative ex-banker Guillermo Lasso.

Moreno, a disabled former vice president, needs 40 percent of valid votes and a 10-percentage-point difference with his nearest rival to win outright and extend a decade of left-wing rule in the Andean country.

An exit poll by Cedatos pollster estimated Moreno received some 39.4 percent of valid votes versus around 30.5 percent for Lasso. Its margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.

A separate OPECUADOR poll published by state media showed Moreno with 42.9 percent of valid votes, versus 27.7 percent for Lasso.

Moreno, who lost the use of his legs two decades ago after being shot during a robbery, has a more conciliatory style than fiery outgoing 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.

Lasso 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.

Should there be a second round, Ecuador’s fragmented opposition is expected to coalesce around Lasso amid anger over an economic downturn and corruption scandals.

Argentina, Brazil, and Peru have moved towards the right recently as a commodities boom ended and weakened a leftist bloc in the region rich in oil, metals, and soy. </s> Exit polls from Sunday's presidential election in Ecuador put the ruling party's Lenin Moreno ahead of the closest contender among seven opposition candidates, although it was unclear whether he had enough votes to avoid an April runoff.

 

 With more than 80 percent of polling stations reporting early Monday, Moreno had almost 39 percent of the votes, compared to just under 29 percent for conservative Guillermo Lasso, a former banker.

 

 To avoid a runoff, Moreno needs 40 percent of valid votes and a 10-point lead over Lasso.

An exit poll by Cedatos pollster estimated Moreno received some 39.4 percent of valid votes versus about 30.5 percent for Lasso. Its margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.

 

 A separate OPECUADOR poll published by state media showed Moreno with 42.9 percent of valid votes, versus 27.7 percent for Lasso.

 

 Even before the first vote results, Moreno was quick to declare himself the winner based on inconclusive exit polls and called on Lasso to recognize defeat. He softened his tone, however, while addressing supporters late in the night.

An ally of the outgoing leftist President Rafael Correa, Moreno had been leading in opinion polls and promised to continue the current president's programs "on tax-and-spend social policies."

Lasso has vowed to cut spending and taxes while creating one million jobs. Lasso had been second in pre-election polls.

The oil-rich country's economy shrank by 1.7 percent in 2016 due to falling oil prices.

The result of the election could also change the future of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who has been living in Ecuador's embassy in London for five years, fighting extradition to Sweden on rape charges. Assange says the charges are a ruse to invented by the United States as part of an effort to try him on espionage charges.

One campaign promise from the two leading conservative candidates was to evict Assange from Ecuador's London embassy where he has taken refuge out of fear of extradition to the United States. </s> Moreno is winning the first round of the election, though he is unlikely to avoid a runoff against his nearest rival.

Partial results are giving a clear lead to the hand-picked candidate of socialist President Rafael Correa in Ecuador's presidential election, seen as a test for the left in Latin America after recent conservative gains in the region, especially in Brazil and Argentina.

With more than 81.4 percent of polling stations counted, ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno had almost 39 percent of the votes, compared to just under 29 percent for former banker Guillermo Lasso, the closest contender among seven opposition candidates.

To avoid a runoff, Moreno needed to win a majority of the total vote, or get 40 percent while holding a 10-point lead over his nearest rival.

Given the tight race, electoral authorities decided against announcing a quick count of results and instead appealed for patience as official results came in. But a count of statistically representative tally sheets nationwide by a respected private group said would Moreno finish on top with 38.8 percent to 28 percent for Lasso, with a 1-point margin of error.

But the opposition candidate showed no sign of throwing in the towel, as hundreds of Lasso supporters gathered outside the National Electoral Council, saying they would remain there until a runoff was confirmed.

"Lasso has been out saying that he is very confident about a second round win, and he quite possibly has a point because the supporters of the six candidates that seem to be eliminated from the race are more likely to support the right-wing candidate," Schweimler said.

"This indicates the formation of a right-leaning government along the lines of what we have already been seeing in elsewhere in Latin America."

The outcome was indeed being watched closely in Latin America, where conservative leaders in Argentina, Brazil and Peru have assumed power in the past 18 months after the end of a commodities boom that boosted leftists like Correa.

Outside the region, much of the interest in the election focused on what the outcome might mean for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been living at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012.

Moreno has indicated he would allow Assange to remain while Lasso vowed to evict the Australian activist within 30 days of taking office.

The contest put Correa's legacy on the line, as well. The self-declared 21st-century socialist, who took office in 2007, ushered in a period of stability after a severe economic crisis that saw three presidents toppled in protests and the adoption of the US dollar to control rampant inflation.

While Correa has been praised for reducing inequality and overhauling Ecuador's infrastructure, opinion polls said a majority of Ecuadoreans favour change.

Formerly flush government budgets have been slashed and thousands of people at state-run companies laid off, as oil revenues in the OPEC nation declined.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Ecuador's economy to shrink 2.7 percent this year, and analysts predict the new president will have to seek a bailout from the Washington-based IMF to address financial problems made worse by last year's earthquake.

Moreno urged voters to uphold Correa's "Citizens' Revolution", while his challengers vowed to eliminate taxes they contend hamper growth and to strengthen democratic institutions they say were weakened by Correa's leadership. </s> Lenin Moreno, the candidate of the ruling Alianza País Party in Ecuador appears to have secured a win in the second round of presidential elections, barely beating his rival, the conservative Guillermo Lasso who thus far has refused to concede.

With over 94 percent of the votes counted, Moreno is in the lead with 51.07 percent compared to 48.93 percent gained by his opponent Lasso, the country’s election commission reported.

READ MORE: ‘Fate of all Latin America being decided at Ecuador election’

"The revolution has triumphed again in Ecuador," outgoing President Rafael Correa said on Twitter. "The right has lost, despite its millions and its media."

“They've toyed with popular will,” Lasso said on Sunday night, demanding a recount as earlier exit polls were split and projected different winners, prompting both candidates to claim victory.

The 64-year old Moreno, who has been in a wheelchair since 1998, ran on a campaign which promised the South American country a boost in social benefits. The nominee for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize served as vice president of the country from 2007 to 2013, under President Rafael Correa.

It was Correa, serving his third presidential term, who had nominated Morena to run for the Alianza País socialist political movement in Ecuador.

His opponent Lasso, a 61-year-old former head of Banco de Guayaquil who has campaigned on creating one million jobs in four years, argues that Moreno’s generous social promises risk plunging Ecuador’s economy further into debt.

The conservative has also promised to evict WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the nation’s London embassy.

While Moreno has declared victory in a close runoff, Lasso has called for a vote recount, claiming that he is the real winner of the election.

Moreno urged for unity as he addressed his cheering supporters in Quito: “From now on, let's work for the country! All of us!” </s> By Alexandra Ulmer and Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador’s leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno looked set for victory on Monday in a presidential election, but slow results meant it may take days to know if he will face a runoff with former banker Guillermo Lasso.

In a nail-biter vote with eight candidates at the weekend, Moreno was close to the threshold needed to avoid a second round on April 2 and continue a decade-long period of leftist rule, just as South America is moving to the right.

While Ecuadoreans are angry over an economic downturn and corruption scandals, the opposition split its votes among candidates and the ruling Country Alliance remains popular with many poor voters thanks to social welfare programs.

As results trickled in from Ecuador’s Andes, jungle, and Pacific coast, Moreno, a disabled former vice president, was just short of the 40 percent of votes and a 10 percentage-point difference over his nearest rival to win outright.

He had 39.11 percent of valid votes versus 28.34 percent for Lasso, with 89.5 percent of votes counted, the official preliminary election count showed on Monday afternoon.

The electoral council said clarity would not arrive for three more days due to votes trickling in from isolated areas and Ecuadoreans abroad, bureaucratic delays and “inconsistencies” in some ballots.

“This doesn’t smell right. How can they take three days to count 12 percent?” said Lasso, 61, who already celebrated reaching the second round in his humid hometown of Guayaquil under a stream of confetti on Sunday night.

“We’re not going to allow fraud ... If they toy with the results, we’ll take to the streets,” he added.

Moreno shot down the opposition’s stance.

“You can’t be a sore loser,” he told a news conference on Monday evening, against a backdrop of the Ecuadorean flag and the name “Lenin” emblazoned in large letters.

“It’s striking to me that there is a politician out there calling for violence,” Moreno added, emphasizing the need to wait for final results.

A couple of hundred opposition supporters have already congregated in front of the electoral council headquarters in Quito to demand a speedier and more transparent count.

“We don’t trust the electoral council, it’s obviously pro-Country Alliance,” said Maribel Cevallos, a 34-year-old psychologist. “We’re here watching that they don’t cheat us.”

Protesters waving yellow, blue and red Ecuadorean flags chanted slogans including “We’re not Cuba or Venezuela, out with Correa!”

Outgoing President Rafael Correa was one of the key figures in Latin America’s leftist axis that includes Caracas and Havana. He brought stability to the politically turbulent OPEC country but has aggravated many with his confrontational style.

Guillermo Lasso (C), presidential candidate from the CREO party, celebrates with supporters after early election tally suggests a runoff between him and candidate of the ruling PAIS Alliance Party Lenin Moreno (not pictured), in Guayaquil, Ecuador February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Henry Romero

Correa said votes from pro-government rural provinces and Ecuadoreans abroad, many of whom left after a deep financial crisis under a center-right government, would propel Moreno, 63, past the crucial 40 percent mark.

POLARIZED NATION

The next president faces strong pressure to create jobs and crack down on graft, amid corruption scandals at state-run oil company Petroecuador and Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht [ODBES.UL].

Lasso 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 a 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.

But Lasso has also alienated some voters who deem him a stuffy elitist linked to the 1999 financial crisis when hundreds of thousands lost their savings.

Moreno, who lost the use of his legs two decades ago after being shot during a robbery, has a more conciliatory style than the pugnacious Correa and has promised benefits for the disabled, single mothers and the elderly.

“In the last few years there have been radical changes in the country, like the end of extreme poverty,” said Moreno supporter Ramiro Flores, a 60-year-old civil engineer in the mountainous capital Quito.

Critics say Moreno is ill-equipped to overhaul an ailing economy hit by low oil prices, steep debts, and a stronger U.S. dollar that has hurt exports.

Slideshow (24 Images)

His running mate, Jorge Glas, who as strategic sectors minister oversaw the oil and infrastructure industries, has also been accused by a fugitive oil minister of corruption in the Petroecuador case. Glas has denied wrongdoing.

Moreno has said Assange can stay in the London embassy, but warned in a Monday interview with Latin American broadcaster Telesur he would ask him “not to intervene in the politics of countries that are friends of Ecuador.”

The new president takes office on May 24 for a four-year term. </s> MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Lenin Moreno, a candidate from Ecuador’s ruling PAIS Alliance party, is keeping his leadership in the Ecuador’s presidential election with 51.16 percent of votes after 99 percent of ballots have been processed, the National Electoral Council’s data showed on Monday.

According to the council’s preliminary results, Guillermo Lasso, Moreno’s rival from the opposition Creo-Suma alliance, is gathering 48.84 percent of votes.

The second round of Ecuador's presidential elections was held on Sunday.

The preliminary results of the election provoked clashes between the country's opposition and police near the National Electoral Council’s building in Ecuador's capital of Quito. Apart from this, Lasso expressed opposition's readiness to challenge the results due to the "voting manipulations", noting the significant difference between the exit polls and the election's results. </s> QUITO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno was set for victory in a presidential election but results still coming in on Monday meant he may face a runoff with former banker Guillermo Lasso.

In a nail-biter vote with eight candidates, Moreno was close to the threshold needed to avoid a second round on April 2 and continue a decade-long period of leftist rule, just as South America is moving to the right.

While Ecuadoreans are angry over an economic downturn and corruption scandals, the opposition split its votes among candidates and the ruling Country Alliance remains popular with many poor voters, thanks to social welfare programs.

As results trickled in from Ecuador's Andes, jungle, and Pacific coast, Moreno, a disabled former vice president, was just short of the 40 percent of votes and a 10-percentage-point difference over his nearest rival to win outright.

He had 39.09 percent of valid votes versus 28.28 percent for Guillermo Lasso, with 87 percent of votes counted, the official preliminary election count showed.

Government supporters said votes from pro-government provinces and Ecuadoreans abroad would propel Moreno, 63, past the crucial 40 percent mark.

But Lasso, 61, was already celebrating reaching the second round in his humid hometown of Guayaquil by the Pacific Coast under a stream of confetti.

Another opposition candidate, Cynthia Viteri, who was running third in Sunday's count, said she would back Lasso in an April runoff. If other opposition parties follow suit as expected, that could sweep him to victory.

"With all the other (opposition) candidates, we will construct that unity Ecuadoreans so wish for," Lasso said, anticipating that support in April.

With results coming in slower than expected, a couple of hundred opposition supporters congregated in front of the electoral council headquarters in Quito to demand a speedier and more transparent count.

"We're not Cuba or Venezuela, out with Correa!" they chanted.

Outgoing President Rafael Correa was one of the key figures in Latin America's leftist axis that includes Caracas and Havana. He brought stability to the politically turbulent OPEC country but has aggravated many with his confrontational style.

The next president faces strong pressure to create jobs and crack down on graft, amid corruption scandals at state-run oil company Petroecuador and Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht .

Lasso 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 a 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.

"We all know the country wants change," said student Xavier Luzarraga, 26. "Lasso will be the next president, that's it, out with Correa."

But Lasso has also alienated some voters who deem him a stuffy elitist linked to the 1999 financial crisis when hundreds of thousands lost their savings.

Moreno, who lost the use of his legs two decades ago after being shot during a robbery, has a more conciliatory style than the pugnacious Correa and has promised benefits for the disabled, single mothers and the elderly.

"In the last few years there have been radical changes in the country, like the end of extreme poverty," said Moreno supporter Ramiro Flores, a 60-year-old civil engineer in the mountainous capital Quito, outside ruling party headquarters.

Critics say Moreno is woefully ill-equipped to overhaul an ailing economy hit by low oil prices, steep debts, and high taxes on the middle class.

His running mate, Jorge Glas, who as Strategic Sectors minister oversaw the oil and infrastructure industries, has also been accused by a fugitive oil minister of corruption in the Petroecuador case. Glas has denied wrongdoing.

The new president takes office on May 24 for a four-year term. </s> Conservative presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso calls on supporters to take to the streets to guard against fraud.

Ecuador's conservative presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso has said he will not accept the result of the runoff election won by his socialist rival Lenin Moreno.

Lasso called on his supporters to take to the streets on Monday to guard against fraud.

"I cannot accept these results because they do not reflect the will of the people," the former banker told a press conference. "There is fraud, blatant fraud, in the counting process."

With more than 99 percent of polling places counted after Sunday's second-round runoff, Moreno had 51 percent of the vote while Lasso stood at just under 49 percent.

Even as leaders from right-wing governments in Latin America began called Moreno on Monday to offer their congratulations, Lasso vowed to keep up the fight against the installation of an "illegitimate" government.

"We're on the correct side of history. We won't cross our arms and stand by," he said on Twitter. "We will exhaust all political and legal channels in Ecuador and abroad to respect the will of the people who called for a change."

Key to Lasso's challenge of the results in all of Ecuador's 24 provinces was the results of three exit polls that showed him winning. One by pollster Cedatos, which accurately predicted the results of the first round, gave him a victory by six percentage points.

Part of the problem is the opposition's distrust of the National Electoral Council, which it says has become an appendage of the executive in the way the electoral board in Venezuela has all but lost independence under socialist President Nicolas Maduro, a key ally of Ecuador's cirrent president, Rafael Correa.

On election night, thousands of outraged Lasso supporters shouting "fraud" crashed through metal barricades to almost reach the entrance of the electoral council's headquarters in Quito.

Scuffles also broke out in Guayaquil, where Lasso is from, before riot police before pushed back protesters with tear gas.

But so far he has failed to present any evidence of vote tampering except for a single voting act of 248 ballots from a rural area whose tally he says was reversed in favour of Moreno when sent to the National Electoral Council's headquarters.

On Monday the streets were relatively calm although a few dozen Lasso die-hards gathered outside the electoral council's heavily-guarded headquarters.

Lasso presented his complaints on Monday to an electoral mission sent by Organization of American States, which has yet to comment.

But several regional leaders offered their congratulations and a local electoral watchdog that carried out a quick count of its own said Monday that Moreno had a 1.6 point edge in their sample, which is considered highly accurate.

Correa accused Lasso supporters of trying to deny the results and provoke violence.

"By force they want to achieve what they can't at the ballot box," he said on Twitter.

On Monday, he appeared alongside Moreno at changing of the guard ceremony at the presidential palace.

"I'm going to be the president of everyone but fundamentally those who are poorest," said Moreno.

For weeks Ecuadoreans polarised by 10 years of Correa's iron-fisted rule had been bracing for a contested vote.

With Ecuador's economy slated to shrink by 2.7 percent this year as oil prices remain low, analysts had been anticipating that Lasso would rally support from the 60 percent of voters who backed anti-Correa candidates in the first round and join the growing list of Latin American nations - Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela - shifting to the right in recent elections.

The majority of voters also said they were hungry for change amid ongoing corruption allegations related to bribes that Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht paid to officials in Correa's government and a $12m contracting scandal at state-run PetroEcuador.

Yet in the final weeks of the race, Moreno inched ahead in polls amid an aggressive campaign led by Correa to cast Lasso as a wealthy, out-of-touch politician who profited from the country's 1999 banking crisis.

Moreno, 64, also benefited from last-minute doubts that the pro-business Lasso if elected would gut social programmes that have endeared poor voters to Correa's "Citizens' Revolution".
A runoff presidential election, between former vice-president Lenín Moreno and former bank president Guillermo Lasso, is scheduled for Sunday, April 2 since no candidate gained at least 40 percent of the vote in Sunday's poll. With 95.3 percent of votes counted, Moreno received 39.21 percent of valid votes and Lasso had 28.34 percent.