Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa was re-elected as the President of the country on Sunday (26th April) with 54 per cent of the first-round vote according to a survey. The survey data was broadcast by a television channel based on an exit poll conducted by the government-hired pollster Santiago Perez. As per the survey, former Ecuadorian president Lucio Gutierrez stood second in the election with 31 per cent of votes.

 

However, a different exit poll conducted by the firm Cedatos-Gallup Internacional, estimated 55 per cent of the votes for Correa and 27 per cent for Gutierrez. In order to avoid a runoff in the polls, Correa needs to capture either a majority of the votes or a plurality of more than 40 per cent with a margin of at least 10 percentage points over the second-place candidate.

 

No major untoward incidents were reported during Sunday's (26th April) voting. In that election about 10 million people registered to cast their ballots. There were some minor incidents including logistical problems, delays and isolated instances in few polling stations. The election was historic in Ecuador as the first in which an incumbent president sought re-election.