Ecuador Election Results Disputed

Lenin Moreno, the candidate of the ruling Alianza Pais Party in Ecuador, appears to have secured a win in the second round of presidential elections, barely beating his rival, the conservative Guillermo Lasso who thus far has refused to concede.

With 95% of the votes counted, Moreno is in the lead with 51.11% compared to 48.89% gained by his opponent Lasso, the country’s election commission reported.

While the winner has not yet been officially announced, the government says preliminary results are 99% accurate and “irreversible”, according to outgoing President Rafael Correa who already congratulated Moreno, RT reported.

“The revolution has triumphed again in Ecuador,” Correa said on Twitter. “The right has lost, despite its millions and its media.”

While Moreno has declared victory in a close runoff, Lasso has called for a vote recount, claiming that he is the real winner of the election.

“They’ve toyed with popular will,” Lasso said on Sunday night, demanding a recount as earlier exit polls were split and projected different winners, prompting both candidates to claim victory. Lasso vowed to “defend the will of the people” and challenge the results, which he believes to be fabricated, having already shared on Twitter what he called an example of vote count inconsistency.

He urged his supporters to get out on the streets and protest the results, but quickly distanced himself from potential public disorder asking people not to react to “provocations” and rally in a “peaceful but firm” manner.

Meanwhile, Julian Assange has “cordially” invited the losing candidate to “leave Ecuador within 30 days” using similar language as Lasso, who earlier promised to expel the WikiLeaks founder from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London should he be declared the winner.

Prior to Sunday’s vote, Lasso promised that he “will cordially ask Senor Assange to leave” within 30 days of assuming office, should he be elected.

The conservative pro-business candidate said the embassy “isn’t a hotel” and that Ecuador is in no position to finance the Australian’s stay there.