The National Electoral Council (CNE) revealed Sunday preliminary results from Ecuador's national referendum, which showed that voters approved the seven questions raised in the poll.

CNE president Nubia Villacis said that the question that garnered most support, about 74 percent, was the first one, which proposes that state officials convicted of corruption be banned from political activity and their assets seized. </s> Voters in Ecuador on Sunday approved a referendum that all but blocks Rafael Correa, a former president and leftist firebrand, from returning to power.

With more than 70% of voter tallies processed, the National Electoral Council said two out of every three voters had approved a ballot initiative that limits presidents to two terms. That is a victory for its main proponent, current President Lenin Moreno, and a reversal for Mr. Correa, who feverishly campaigned against the referendum. </s> QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - A battle between Ecuador's current president and his predecessor has gone to the voters. They're deciding on a referendum that would limit presidents to two terms - a restriction that seems aimed directly at former President Rafael Correa.

The measure is backed by new President Lenin Moreno, who had been a protégé of Correa until taking office last year. They've been feuding bitterly almost ever since. Correa's been upset by Moreno's moves to build bridges to business leaders and others who had been at odds with the previous leader.

Sunday's referendum includes seven questions. One would give Moreno more authority over a council that determines who can lead some of the nation's most important institutions. Another would bar officials convicted of corruption from seeking office. Another would restrict mining.

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno shows his ballot as he votes in favor of a constitutional referendum at a polling station in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Moreno called for the nationwide referendum that will include a question asking voters whether they want to revoke a law pushed forward by his predecessor allowing presidents to be indefinitely re-elected. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

People arrive at a voting center during a constitutional referendum called by President Lenin Moreno in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Moreno called for the nationwide referendum that will include a question asking voters whether they want to revoke a law pushed forward by his predecessor allowing presidents to be indefinitely re-elected. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

A woman casts her vote during a constitutional referendum called by President Lenin Moreno in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Moreno called for the nationwide referendum that will include a question asking voters whether they want to revoke a law pushed forward by his predecessor allowing presidents to be indefinitely re-elected. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno casts his ballot in favor of a constitutional referendum at a polling station in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Moreno called for the nationwide referendum that will include a question asking voters whether they want to revoke a law pushed forward by his predecessor allowing presidents to be indefinitely re-elected. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

A woman casts her vote during a constitutional referendum called by President Lenin Moreno in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Moreno called for the nationwide referendum that will include a question asking voters whether they want to revoke a law pushed forward by his predecessor allowing presidents to be indefinitely re-elected. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) </s> QUITO, Ecuador — The latest on Ecuador’s national referendum (all times local):

Ecuadoreans have voted overwhelmingly to limit presidents to two terms in a nationwide referendum that is seen as a critical test of former President Rafael Correa’s enduring political strength.

Quick count results showed voters in Sunday’s national referendum approved by an almost 2-to-1 margin a measure reinstating term limits that Correa eliminated from the constitution in 2015.

The result had been expected and is a big boost for President Lenin Moreno, who was a protege of Correa until taking office last year. They’ve been feuding bitterly almost ever since over Moreno’s decision to build bridges with business leaders and others who were bullied by Correa.

Six other questions on the ballot seeking to limit Correa’s influence and limit mining activity in protected areas also easily passed. </s> QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - The latest on Ecuador's national referendum (all times local):

Ecuadoreans have voted overwhelmingly to limit presidents to two terms in a nationwide referendum that is seen as a critical test of former President Rafael Correa's enduring political strength.

A woman casts her vote during a constitutional referendum called by Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Moreno called for the nationwide referendum that will include a question asking voters whether they want to revoke a law pushed forward by his predecessor allowing presidents to be indefinitely re-elected. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Quick count results showed voters in Sunday's national referendum approved by an almost 2-to-1 margin a measure reinstating term limits that Correa eliminated from the constitution in 2015.

The result had been expected and is a big boost for President Lenin Moreno, who was a protege of Correa until taking office last year. They've been feuding bitterly almost ever since over Moreno's decision to build bridges with business leaders and others who were bullied by Correa.

Six other questions on the ballot seeking to limit Correa's influence and limit mining activity in protected areas also easily passed. </s> By Daniela Brik

 Quito, Feb 3 (EFE).- The indigenous community and environmentalists appear unconvinced by the referendum to be held Sunday in Ecuador because of their doubts about two of the questions that directly affect the lands they defend.



Though the government says it seeks to protect the protec the environment with these measures, Indians and activists say they would never have come to a vote without their decades of struggle against mining and oil drilling in areas that are home to native peoples and an enormous biodiversity.



“These questions have appeared because the communities never stopped organizing and today they are there by popular demand,” Francisco Hurtado of the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission (CEDHU), founded almost 40 years ago, told EFE.



If accepted, question No. 5 will lead to a constitutional amendment that will “prohibit metal mining, without exception, in all of its stages, in protected areas, intangible zones and urban centers.”



Approval of question No. 7 would “increase the intangible zone by at least 50,000 hectares and reduce the area of oil exploitation authorized by the National Assembly in the Yasuni National Park from 1,030 hectares (2,500 acres) to 300 hectares.”



Environment Minister Tarsicio Granizo described as a “historic landmark that two of the seven questions in the referendum refer to environmental matters,” which shows “the interest of the government and the president in environmental issues.”



But ecologists and Indians maintain that both are “confusing” and “misleading,” though on principle and for political discipline they will vote “Yes” on both.



“Of course it’s significant that these questions are on the referendum, but unfortunately when we read the questions, we risk thinking that a ‘Yes’ vote will solve the problem of mining in the Yasuni,” Hurtado said.



The main environmentalist organizations recently demonstrated to demand an end to mining, and that President Lenin Moreno keep his promise of not issuing more concessions, and to demand the dismissal of Mining Minister Javier Cordova, who resigned last Tuesday without saying why.



They said that contrary to the president’s promise, some 70,000 hectares have been awarded in concessions and that 15 percent of national territory have been so awarded, something the protesters called a “mining feast.” </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> Ecuador’s highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.

LGBT and human rights activists erupted in celebration in Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flags that symbolize the gay rights movement.

The Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed-door hearing.

Ecuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.

“It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian,” said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.

“It recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination.”

The four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.

The country’s current constitution defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. The charter, ratified in 2008, also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.

But the judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.

In Foch Plaza in downtown Quito, two women who have been fighting since 2013 for the right to marry staged a symbolic wedding right after the court decision was announced.

Pamela Troya and Gabriela Correa sat formally in chairs for the ceremony and when Troya was asked the big question, she said: “Today, I say yes. A big yes. A giant yes. I want to be your wife.”

Others in the crowd shouted in approval, hugged and kissed. </s> Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.

LGBT and human rights activists erupted in celebration in Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flags that symbolize the gay rights movement.

The Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed door hearing.

Ecuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.

"It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian," said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.

"It recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination."

The four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.

Gustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were "binding and mandatory."

Ecuador has recognized de facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.

The Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed.

The men in one of those couples are named Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar.

"I want to say hello to Javier, who is in Guayaquil. Honey, I love you," Soria told reporters in the capital Quito.

He urged other gays to stop hiding and "enjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else."

Ecuador's current constitution defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

The charter, ratified in 2008, also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.

But the judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.

In Foch Plaza in downtown Quito, two women who have been fighting since 2013 for the right to marry staged a symbolic wedding right after the court decision was announced.

Pamela Troya and Gabriela Correa sat formally in chairs for the ceremony and when Troya was asked the big question, she said: "Today, I say yes. A big yes. A giant yes. I want to be your wife."

Others in the crowd shouted in approval, hugged and kissed.

Troya later told reporters the fight for same sex marriage in Ecuador had been long and hard, and at times she thought it was a lost cause.

"Finally, today is an historic day for Ecuador because it is a little more fair and egalitarian," she said.
Ecuador is set to hold a referendum consisting of seven questions for voters to approve or reject.