ECUADOR
The Underdog
A former banker and businessman with highly unpopular policies won Ecuador’s presidential runoff elections Sunday in a surprise victory that comes amid deep suffering due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Al Jazeera reported Monday.
Results showed that Guillermo Lasso won 52.5 percent of the vote, defeating his challenger, left-wing economist Andres Arauz, who was the handpicked successor to former president Rafael Correa.
Al Jazeera described Lasso’s victory as “unexpected” saying that his conservative economic policies are not very popular. Regardless, Ecuadorians decided to give him “a chance.”
Lasso will inherit a country that has been devastated by the pandemic: It has left one-third of the population of more than 17 million in poverty and half a million people unemployed.
His victory is also a defeat for Correa, who was sentenced in absentia on a corruption charge last year, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Analysts said that Correa hoped that Arauz’ victory would allow him to return to Ecuador from his exile in Europe and result in his conviction being overturned.
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