Ecuadorean Presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso. | AFP/JOSÉ SÁNCHEZ LINDAO
Leftist economist Andrés Arauz will face conservative Guillermo Lasso in the upcoming second round of Ecuador s presidential election, officials said Sunday, in a vote marred by fraud allegations and taking place amid a worsening economic crisis.
Thirty-six-year-old Arauz won the first round with 32.72 percent of the vote – not enough to win outright. His opponent in the second round will be ex-banker Lasso, who took 19.74 percent to beat left-wing indigenous leader Yaku Pérez s 19.39 percent, according to the final results of the February 7 poll.
The run-off will take place on April 11, after the first round results were approved by four out of the five members of the National Electoral Council (CNE) at a meeting that lasted into the early hours of Sunday morning.