Ecuador’s Arauz wins first round of presidential vote

Ecuador is waiting for the second round of the presidential election while Andres Arauz has won the first one. On Sunday, Arauz won 31.50% of the votes against 20.04% of his principal rival Perez.

Ecuador showed the official quick count released by the National Electoral Council a few hours after the polls closed. Following Arauz and Perez, Guillermo Lasso came third with 19.97% of the votes.

A candidate has to receive 50% plus one vote or 40% and a 10-point lead over the rival to win the election. If candidates fail to secure it, the election goes to a run-off round.

The main intrigue is between Arauz and Perez, while Lasso, a former banker has promised to crackdown on corruption. In fact, there are 13 other candidates, most of which were unknown to the Ecuadorean.

“Resounding triumph in all regions of our beautiful country. Our victory is 2 to 1 against the banker,” Arauz said on his Twitter account.

He added that while he himself would be the president, Correa would be his “main adviser.”

Over the years, the Andean region shows an inclination to the leftists. In latest elections in Bolivia and Argentina have brought back the left-wing governments, which are gaining strength in the region.