Quito, Ecuador – More than 13 million eligible Ecuadorian voters are heading to the polls on Sunday as left-wing economist Andres Arauz goes up against conservative former banker Guillermo Lasso in the country’s presidential runoff.
Arauz finished with 32.7 percent of the vote during the first round of the election in February, while Lasso secured 19.7 percent, narrowly edging out the third-place candidate after a recount.
Polls opened at 7am local time (12:00 GMT) and will close at 5pm (22:00 GMT).
The next president, who will be sworn in on May 24, will have the strenuous task of addressing Ecuador’s deepening economic crisis, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, while also inheriting a sluggish vaccine rollout that has been marred by scandals.