By N. H. Gill
(April 12, 2021) – Ecuadorian voters elected Guillermo Lasso, a 65-year-old former chief executive officer of Banco de Guayaquil SA, as the next president of the South American nation. Lasso defeated candidate Andrés Arauz, a former economist at the central bank and protégé of ex-President Rafael Correa.

Lasso won 52 percent of the vote, with about 99 percent of precincts reporting as of 6:30 a.m. local time, according to the country’s national electoral council, known as CNE. Arauz, who received 48 percent of the vote, recognized the defeat in a speech last night to supporters in Quito.