Ecuador on Sunday elected a conservative former banker and advocate of free-market policies as president over its populist opponent, leading the country on a pro-business path.
Guillermo Lasso, 65, received more than 52% of the vote for president, his third bid to run. He defeated Andrés Arauz, a 36-year-old left-wing economist and protégé of the powerful ex-president Rafael Correa. Mr. Arauz gave in with more than 95% of the vote.
Mr. Lasso will inherit a bruised economy and health crisis as the Covid-19 pandemic rages in South America. From Brazil to Peru and Chile, hospitals are pushed to the limit as infections soar to record levels and hopes for an economic recovery shrink.
“For years I have dreamed of being able to serve Ecuadorians, so the country is progressing. Today you made that possible, ”Mr. Lasso said to cheering supporters. “We will build a fairer country, with more prosperity for all.”
While voters in Ecuador elected a right-wing candidate, voters in the first round of the presidential election in neighboring Peru seemed to be going the far left. An exit poll from Ipsos found that presidential candidate Pedro Castillo, a socialist who advocates reversing three decades of market-friendly policies, is leading a field of 17 other candidates. Peru will hold a second round of voting between the two best winners in June.