Ecuador weighs two very different economic visions in election

Voters head to the polls Sunday for the run-off election between presidential candidates Andres Arauz, a left-wing economist, and Guillermo Lasso, a ring-wing banker. The winner will inherit a divided nation and bleak economic outlook.

Quito, Ecuador — Tanks and barbed wire surround the National Electoral Council as Ecuador prepares to choose a new president after a disputed first round of voting and rising tensions between the two candidates ahead of Sunday’s run-off election. Nearby streets are open, but nearly deserted after the government imposed a “state of exception” that restricts traffic based on licence plate numbers and includes a nightly curfew, both designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. At the centre of the election: the future of Ecuador’s economy. Recent polls show a close race between Andres Arauz, a left-wing economist who plans to increase the social safety net, and Guillermo Lasso, a ring-wing banker who would steer Ecuador towards a more free-market economy.