Faced with criticism of the rapid counting system, which failed during the first phase of presidential litigation in Ecuador, the National Electoral Council declared that the method will not be used in litigation for the second round on Sunday (11).
This means that the count will be made vote by vote and that the result will take longer to be known. A report is expected, with the first partials, around 7 p.m. (9 p.m. in Brasilia), two hours after the closing of the polling stations.
In the first round, the CNE decided to stop the quick count with almost 90% of the minutes counted because it was checking a technical link between the banker Guillermo Lasso and the indigenous leader Yaku Pérez.
As a result, Ecuadorians had to wait for the manual count. In addition, the two rivals have asked for more than a recount of the minutes in several provinces of the country.
Lasso complained to the CNE, which released a projection when there was 20% of the quick count done, saying Pérez was closer to going to the second round.
Pérez, for his part, has called vigils since day one, during which supporters demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the electoral bodies of the bodies. According to the leftist, his opponent could resort to fraudulent methods to ensure the continuity of the dispute and, being a millionaire candidate, he would have the resources to bribe electoral and tax judges.
In the end, it took the country two weeks to meet with the candidates who would make it to the second round of elections – and both demanded votes until the last moment on Sunday.
In Quito, the political capital of the country, leftist Andrés Arauz was excited and asked people to leave their homes to exercise their democratic right: “Today we start to choose the fate of the country, every vote counts. “.
Addressing his supporters, after voting, he said he would rule “with humility and steadfastness, to leave the pain and suffering behind and begin human management. We are calm and motivated to move the country forward.”
Arauz’s political godfather, former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), who lives in Belgium, commented on the poll on social media. “The vote has started [de equatorianos] in Europe, I address my fraternal greetings to our migrants. Everyone should make the effort to vote, never at a banker [referindo-se ao opositor Guillermo Lasso], but for hope. Andrés Arauz President! “.
In the coastal city of Guayaquil, considered the economic capital of Ecuador, the center-right candidate, Guillermo Lasso, entered the polling station under the cries of “Lasso, president”, walking slowly, surrounded by supporters and from his family.
“It is a day of democratic celebration where all Ecuadorians come together so that, with the power of the vote, we can choose the future in which our children will live,” he said after voting. “We all want an Ecuador of opportunity, free, where all families can achieve prosperity.”
Fourth in the first round, with more than 15% of the vote, leftist Xavier Hervas also voted in the morning in Quito. And he asked voters not to vote blank or blank.
“Even if none of the proposals are ideal, we must choose the one that is closest to our values,” he said, leaving the San Gabriel school in Quito. Hervas supported Guillermo Lasso in this second round.
At around 11 a.m. local time (1 p.m. in Brasilia), Diana Atamaint, president of the National Electoral Council, said there had been no reports of crowds at polling stations across the country. “The entrance to the polling stations is done in a fluid and organized manner,” he said.