Second presidential runoff in less than two years in the South American country ruined by drug -related violence.
Ecuadorians have begun to vote in a tight presidential runoff that faces the headline, Daniel Nemaa, against the leftist lawyer Luisa González.
Diana Atamaint, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), opened the surveys at 7 am (12:00 GMT) on Sunday in a ceremony in the capital, Quito. More than 13 million people are eligible to vote.
The vote, which is mandatory, ends at 5 PM (22:00 GMT). Analysts expect a close result.
Voters are mainly concerned with the violence that the country has transformed since 2021, an increase in crime linked to cocaine traffic produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru.
Both Nemaa, a conservative millionaire and González have promised voters solutions to extortions, kidnappings, murders and other crimes carried out by the local criminal slots allied with posters and Albanian Yarares.
This is a development story. More to come …