Roundup: Ecuadorians to vote in tightly contested presidential runoff

Ecuadorians will go to the polls on Sunday to vote in a tightly contested runoff between ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno and the opposition's candidate Guillermo Lasso.

The two represent divergent paths. Moreno signalled a continuation of the policies of President Rafael Correa and the PAIS Alliance, which have been in power for a decade, while Lasso wanted a "change" back to a more neo-liberal market-oriented style of governance.

A total of eight candidates competed in the first round of voting on Feb. 19 that saw Moreno lead with 39 percent of the votes, followed by Lasso, with 28 percent.

In the runoff, poll results released on March 22 showed Moreno, who has served as Correa's vice president, would have a 15-percent lead over Lasso, of the Creating Opportunities party.

As with all elections in the country, the state of the economy stands to play a decisive role, especially for the party in power. Growth has been weak in the past two years in Ecuador, dragged down by external factors.

However, Lasso, a lifelong banker and former economy minister, has his own cross to bear, namely a financial scandal that came to light just weeks ago.

"We are faced with totally opposite tendencies, one is leftist, the other right wing ...," political observer Monica Hidalgo told Xinhua.

Academician Fernando Casado noted Moreno represented stability and "continuity" of policies that have benefited the people, with an "aim to improve everything that has been done until now."

Correa, after all, is one of the longest-serving presidents in Ecuador's modern history, which saw seven presidential administrations between 1997 and 2007.

Yet the promise of change may entice a growing and restless middle class, amid the rising neo-liberalism.

"Of course, Lasso's arrival in the presidency will signal a turn to the right, because his program is clearly neo-liberal," said Casado.

In the areas of trade and commerce, pro-business Lasso is likely to "privatize services" such as gas, electricity and even water, said political analyst Katalina Barreiro, though Lasso has denied any such plans.

In the realm of politics, Lasso will distance Ecuador from its progressive Latin American allies, such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba, and forge closer ties with the United States, as his main campaign pledge is to oust Washington nemesis Julian Assange from Ecuador's embassy in London.

Correa's government granted Assange, the founder of anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, political asylum in 2012.

"With Lasso, foreign policy is going to take a radical turn. Ecuador's stance in regard to China and the United States, and in regard to Latin America, is going to change radically," said political scientist Santiago Basabe. Endi