Surprise surge in support for anti-mining activist throws open Ecuador election
FEBRUARY 7, 202111:54 PMUPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
By Alexandra Valencia, Brian Ellsworth
4 MIN READ
QUITO (Reuters) - Leftist Ecuadorean economist Andres Arauz was headed on Monday for a presidential run-off election, while a surprise surge in support for an indigenous anti-mining activist made the race for the number two spot too close to call.
Indigenous leader Yaku Perez shocked the establishment by placing neck and neck with pro-market candidate Guillermo Lasso for second place and the right to stand against Arauz in the April 11 run-off.
With nearly 98% of the vote counted, Perez led Lasso by less than a quarter of a percentage point, making a recount likely. Arauz had 32.19%, Perez 19.81% and Lasso 19.60%.
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It marked the best-ever showing for an indigenous presidential candidate and throws open a race that had been defined for months by the ideological rift between free marketeers and socialists.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-election/surprise-surge-in-support-for-anti-mining-activist-throws-open-ecuador-election-idUSKBN2A80EJ