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> 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> 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> 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> 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> 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 in Ecuador’s presidential election on Sunday indicated it was too close to say whether Lenín Moreno, the successor to Rafael Correa in the ruling Alianza Pais coalition, would face his nearest rival Guillermo Lasso, of the rightwing Creo-Suma alliance, in a runoff in April.

The widely different results of two exit polls saw Moreno’s camp celebrating victory in the first round, while Lasso declared there would be a second round in which he would face the government’s candidate.

Flanked by Rafael Correa and the vice-president, Jorge Glas, Moreno told his rival to “lose with dignity” while he would “win with humility”.

Exit polls by Cedatos gave 39.4% for 63-year-old Moreno, who was a former vice-president under Correa, and 30.5% for Lasso, a 61-year-old former banker.

However, exit polls by Santiago Perez, a second polling organisation, handed victory to Moreno with 42.9%, with Lasso trailing on 27.7%. For an outright win a candidate requires 40% and a 10-point lead over his nearest rival.

A second round is not expected to favour Moreno, say analysts. They predict Ecuador’s opposition could join forces around Lasso, who has vehemently attacked the government, blaming it for an economic downturn and corruption scandals.

The two candidates offer very different visions of Ecuador’s future and its place in the world.

Moreno represents the continuity of the nation’s leftwing government, with its focus on poverty reduction, disability rights and closer Latin American integration. But supporters say he represents a change of style, being more of a listener and less confrontational towards the media compared to his predecessor, Correa.

Lasso, a former banker, has vowed to cut taxes, boost employment, trim government spending and evict the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, from the Ecuadorian embassy in London. While Correa and Moreno have relied on Chinese loans and investment, Lasso is thought more likely to reach out to the US and the IMF.

On Sunday there were angry scenes when Lasso accompanied his running mate Andrés Páez to a polling station in the middle-class Rumipampa neighbourhood of Quito, which happened to be the same place where Moreno had to cast his ballot.

Surrounded by supporters chanting, “Lasso, please, save Ecuador,” the opposition candidate confidently told journalists the election would have a wider significance in Latin America where the “pink tide” could be reaching its low-water mark, because right-leaning leaders have taken over in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. “There will be a second round and in this round democracy and liberty will win, not just in Ecuador but also in Latin America,” he said.

By contrast Moreno, a former businessman who uses a wheelchair, cut a more placid figure as he cast his ballot surrounded by chanting supporters. “The elections are a democratic party which the people must enjoy because they are choosing the destiny they will meet in the future,” he said, choosing a more neutral tone than his rival.

A former United Nations special envoy on disability, Moreno, if he wins, he would be the first paraplegic head of state, having used a wheelchair since he was shot in a robbery.

Outside the polling station, dozens of the party faithful gathered to voice their support for Moreno, a less combative figure than Rafael Correa, known for his humour and advocacy for rights for people with disabilities. “I’ve always supported this government with all my soul, because it’s the people’s movement which cares about the forgotten ones,” said Anita Rueda, a Moreno supporter.

Wheelchair user Angel Tobias Jerez had travelled especially to support Moreno. “Our comrade Lenín Moreno has won the hearts of all of us who have a disability,” he said. “Not just here but at an international level.”

Whether he can win the presidency is another matter in an election that analysts are viewing as a vote that will test the legacy of the self-declared leader of 21st-century socialism, Rafael Correa.

“Whichever candidate wins … they will face mounting debt, corruption allegations and demands from different sectors,” said Gabriel Hidalgo, a political scientist at Quito’s Americas University. </s> MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South America's growing right-wing political force experienced a defeat in Ecuador, where ruling PAIS Alliance party candidate Lenin Moreno, is set to win the presidential election.

With the country's current President Rafael Correa not running in the election for the first time in more than a decade, two candidates, Moreno, a former vice president, and Guillermo Lasso, a candidate from Ecuador's opposition Creo-Suma alliance, participated in Sunday's run-off.

The vote difference between PAIS Alliance's Moreno and his opponent is small — just over 2 percent. According to the National Electoral Council (NEC), after processing around 98 percent of the votes, Moreno leads with over 51 percent compared to Lasso, who has just under 49 percent.

The current head of state called the results irreversible, writing on Twitter "great news for the great homeland: the revolution regained its victory in Ecuador, the right is defeated, despite their millions and the media, more than two percent of the difference, Lenin is president!!!"

​For Correa, Moreno's victory would mean that the country preserves the same socio-economic course that it has built since 2007, when Correa first came to power and launched the left-wing Citizens' Revolution. Moreno served as Correa's vice president from 2007 to 2013.

During his campaign, Moreno promised to create 250,000 new jobs in his time in office, and to maintain the current social policy aimed at supporting the poor.

In the event of a final victory, he will enter office on May 24 and will serve for a period of four years.

Lasso has challenged the results in all 24 provinces, and demanded a vote recount, citing voting manipulations. The temporary fault of the website of the National Electoral Council has also raised concern.

Local media reported that clashes between supporters of the Ecuador’s opposition and police also erupted near the National Electoral Council’s building in Quito.

Julian Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblowing website, who has been residing at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012, also welcomed Moreno's victory.

In February, Lasso, a prominent businessman, said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper that in case of his victory in the presidential election he would "cordially ask" Assange to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London within 30 days.

​Assange was referring to the allegations by the Inspectorate of Banks of Panama against Lasso regarding his association with forty-nine offshore companies located in tax havens, as revealed by the Argentine newspaper Pagina 12 earlier this month.
Voters head to the polls to select the National Assembly and a new president with former vice-president Lenín Moreno facing off against former bank president Guillermo Lasso, and six other opposition candidates. There will be an April 2 runoff unless the leader receives 40 percent of the votes and is at least 10 percentage points ahead of the others. In addition, there's a tax haven referendum.