Ecuador: Conservative banker Guillermo Lasso wins presidential election

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The supporters of Guillermo Lasso are happy

Photo: LUISA GONZALEZ / REUTERS

Conservative banker Guillermo Lasso won the presidential election in Ecuador.

The 65-year-old came to 52.52 percent after the counting of almost all votes, as the electoral office announced on Sunday.

The left-wing candidate Andrés Arauz received 47.48 percent of the vote in the runoff election.

"Thank you Ecuador for your support at the polls," Lasso wrote on Twitter after the polling stations closed.

Colombia's President Iván Duque and Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou congratulated Lasso.

Already third candidacy

For Lasso it was already the third presidential candidacy.

"For years I have dreamed of being able to serve the Ecuadorians so that the country can move forward and we can all lead a better life," he said to his supporters in an event center in the economic metropolis of Guayaquil, according to the newspaper "El Universo".

“You made it possible today.

An era of coming together begins. "

Arauz admitted his defeat.

"That was a failure in the elections, but not a political or moral defeat," said former President Rafael Correa's pupil in front of his supporters.

He announced that he would call his rival Lasso and congratulate him on winning the election.

“Mr. Lasso, I invite you to respect the rule of law.

Hatred doesn't do anything.

Let's discuss democratically. "

Lasso speaks out against abortions

The two candidates stand at opposite ends of the political spectrum: Arauz represents "socialism of the 21st century", Lasso stands for a liberal economic policy.

He wants to create jobs and attract foreign investors.

He is a member of the ultra-conservative association Opus Dei and speaks out against same-sex marriages and abortion.

The South American country is in a deep economic crisis due to the drop in oil prices and the corona pandemic.

The previous President Lenín Moreno had recently fallen sharply in favor of the electorate and had not stood for re-election in the first place.

mfh / dpa