Conservative presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso was celebrating victory tonight in a nail-biting run-off election, based on the results of a leading exit poll that suggest a major political shift is in store for this tiny Opec country.
Lasso, a former finance and energy minister and former head of Banco de Guayaquil, plans to usher in oil policy reforms and boost private-sector investment. He also wants to bring Ecuador into the Pacific Alliance of Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, countries that espouse free trade and openness to foreign investment.
Sitting president Rafael Correa, in office for a decade, leaves behind a populist legacy, a deteriorated oil-based economy, and controversial press restrictions. He is among the region's few remaining allies of increasingly authoritarian Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
According to the exit poll conducted by leading pollster Cedatos, Lasso secured 53.02pc of the vote, compared to 46.98pc for Lenin Moreno, the candidate of Correa´s socialist Alianza País movement. The poll has a 2pc margin of error.
A separate poll from Perfiles de Opinión, a polling agency close to the government, gives the victory to Moreno with 52.2pc of the vote, compared to 47.8pc for Lasso.
Both candidates were celebrating this evening, but Alianza País said it would wait until Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) delivers the official results tonight, while Lasso and his CREO movement already proclaimed his victory.
The election appeared to have taken place peacefully in most districts. The electoral authority CNE is expected to issue the first official partial results within 90 minutes.
From his Guayaquil hometown, Lasso promised an era of democracy and freedom.
