Lasso wins Ecuador presidency

By AFP
April 13, 2021

Quito: Former banker Guillermo Lasso won Ecuador’s presidential election Sunday, pledging "opportunities and prosperity" despite a pandemic-battered and debt-laden economy and a political system riven by gridlock.

Conservative Lasso declared himself president-elect after his socialist opponent Andres Arauz conceded. With 93 percent of votes counted, the 65-year-old held a lead of almost five percentage points over economist Arauz.