Ecuador presidential election heads into runoff after leftist wins first round

Andres Arauz , a protege of former president Rafael Correa, will advance but too close to call which opponent he would face

Ecuador is heading to a runoff presidential election in April after a young leftwing candidate won a first-round victory on Sunday, following years of austerity measures made more painful by the pandemic.

Andres Arauz , a 36-year-old protege of former president Rafael Correa, will advance to the 11 April runoff, but it was still too close to call whether he would face environmental activist Yaku Perez or conservative banker Guillermo Lasso.