This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6052370.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 5 | Version 6 |
---|---|
Ecuador set for run-off election | Ecuador set for run-off election |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The richest man in Ecuador is to face a leftist in a run-off next month after the first round of the presidential election, partial results make clear. | |
Banana tycoon Alvaro Noboa won slightly more of the vote than Rafael Correa, a left-wing ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. | |
The outgoing President, Alfredo Palacio, described the election as a festival of democracy. | The outgoing President, Alfredo Palacio, described the election as a festival of democracy. |
Ecuador is electing its eighth leader in a decade of political turbulence. | |
The partial results show Mr Noboa with a lead of one to two points over Mr Correa, with neither managing to score more than 28% in the 13-candidate race. | |
The second round will be held on 26 November. | |
Close race | Close race |
It looks like being the result most analysts in Ecuador had predicted, the BBC's Daniel Schweimler reports from Quito, but Mr Correa, a 43-year-old economist, was quick to claim fraud and that he had won an outright victory. | |
Mr Correa has vowed to challenge the political establishment | Mr Correa has vowed to challenge the political establishment |
He said attempts had been made to bribe his party workers in some areas and that he would be making a formal complaint. | |
Alvaro Noboa, who at 55 is trying for the third time to become president, said he was pleased with the result and looked forward to the second round. | |
The two men could not be more different, our correspondent notes. | |
Mr Noboa inherited his father's banana empire and enjoys much of his support in Ecuador's financial centre, the coastal city of Guayaquil. | |
Mr Correa is a friend of Mr Chavez and he has said he would oppose a planned free trade deal with the US. | |
He enjoys the bulk of his support in Quito. | |
Many people in Ecuador are already disillusioned with their politicians, our correspondent says. | |
The fight between Rafael Correa and Alvaro Noboa may not be a pretty one and is unlikely to restore much faith in the country's politicians, he adds. | |
Ecuadoreans drove their last three elected presidents from power and only three since 1979 have succeeded in serving full terms. | |