Arauz and Lasso advance to Ecuador’s presidential runoff

Socialist Andres Arauz and conservative Guillermo Lasso will compete in the second round of the polls in April.

Progressive economist Andres Arauz will face conservative former banker Guillermo Lasso in the second round of Ecuador’s presidential election on April 11, according to the country’s National Electoral Council. Arauz, the 36-year-old protege of former socialist President Rafael Correa, won the first round with 32.72 percent of the vote. Lasso won 19.74 percent, beating left-wing Indigenous leader Yaku Perez who won 19.39 percent, according to the final results of the February 7 poll announced by the electoral body’s secretary Santiago Vallejo on Sunday.