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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 22 February

Official: Ecuador’s presidential election headed to runoff

GONZALO SOLANO port for Lasso.
Associated Press The slow result announce-
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ec- ment was the first time in
uador’s nail-biter election recent memory that Ecua-
is heading to a runoff after dorean authorities had not
results showed ruling party declared a winner on elec-
candidate Lenin Moreno tion night. Lasso’s support-
falling just shy of the votes ers gathered in the streets
needed to clench a first- in front of the National
round victory, officials said Electoral Council overnight
Tuesday. Sunday and Monday to
With nearly 95 percent of demand that a runoff be
all votes officially tallied, confirmed.
the outcome is irrevers- “You went out on the
ible, the National Electoral streets to defend your will,”
Council said. Lasso said.
The results ended two days Lasso’s side has not pre-
of suspense as supporters sented any evidence of
of opposition candidate irregularities. Juan Pablo
Guillermo Lasso took to Pozo Bahamonde, presi-
the streets to protest what Lenin Moreno, presidential candidate for the ruling party Alliance PAIS, center, poses for a photo dent of the electoral
they said was an attempt with supporters after a news conference in Quito, Ecuador. Ecuador’s nail-biter election is head- council, said no formal
at fraud to favor Moreno, ing to a runoff after results showed ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno falling just shy of the votes complaints had been filed
President Rafael Correa’s needed to clench a first-round victory, officials said Tuesday. with the National Electoral
hand-picked candidate to (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Council.q
succeed him.
The Andean country will ficials said. Moreno had cent. Former Quito Mayor
hold a second-round of needed to hold a 10-point Paco Moncayo, the only
voting April 2, an election lead and have 40 percent leftist among the seven
that will be closely watched of the votes to win outright. trailing candidates, said he
in Latin America as Moreno Moreno will likely encoun- wouldn’t ask the 7 percent
faces off against Lasso, a ter a more challenging of voters who backed him
conservative former bank- race in the weeks ahead to vote for either candi-
er. The region has shifted as opposition candidates date in the runoff.
to the right over the last consolidate their support “Most opposition voters
18 months as conserva- around Lasso. will probably end up sup-
tives won power in Argen- Several losing candidates porting Lasso in a head-to-
tina, Brazil and Peru after who shared Lasso’s conser- head contest focused on
the end of a commodities vative agenda and fatigue change versus continuity,”
boom that had boosted with Correa’s iron-fisted rule the Eurasia Group, a politi-
leftists like Correa. have already thrown their cal risk consultancy, wrote
Moreno got slightly more support behind Lasso for in an analysis.
than 39 percent of all votes the second round, includ- The analysts speculated
in Sunday’s election, while ing former congresswoman that the delay in announc-
Lasso trailed by nearly 11 Cynthia Viteri, who finished ing the vote result would
points at 28 percent, of- third with more than 16 per- help unify opposition sup-
15 years for 2 men charged in Brazil gang rape case

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A The sentence handed victim were shared on so-
Brazilian judge has sen- down by Judge Aylton cial media.
tenced two men to 15 Cardoso Vasconcellos’ It became a symbol of
years in prison in a gang- was posted Tuesday on the the Latin American na-
rape case that horrified the website of Rio de Janeiro’s tion’s problem of violence
country. Justice Department. against women.
A third man charged in the The case made interna- The videos and other ma-
rape that took place last tional headlines because terial that appeared on
May in Rio de Janeiro is at videos showing men pos- social media sites helped
large. ing with the unconscious police identify suspects.q