There have been protests in Ecuador after vote counting in the country’s presidential election dragged into a third day.
There have been protests in Ecuador after vote counting in the country’s presidential election dragged into a third day.
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Some two hundred opposition supporters gathered outside the electoral Commission in Quito earlier to demand a speedier and more transparent count.
For now, leftist candidate Lenin Moreno leads, but he could fall just short of the 40 percent needed to win outright.
‘‘We know that the projections could give us victory in the first round. We are waiting in a democratic and peaceful manner for the results from electoral commission, ‘’ Lenin Moreno said.
More than 90 percent of the ballot has been counted, but it could take days to know if Moreno will have to face a runoff with former banker Guillermo Lasso. Questioning the long delay in delivering a result, Lasso said: ‘‘I want to tell them not to toy with the will of the Ecuadorean people. It’s not there yet. If they mess around, we will go out onto the streets. So they, the government, should be responsible.’‘
On Monday Lenin Moreno, who was a former vice-president under the outgoing Rafael Correa, said he does not see why the opposition would cry fraud.
Whoever wins the nail-bitter vote faces strong pressure to create jobs and crack down on corruption in the Latin American country.