Ecuador: 2021 presidential election

Ecuadorians voted to elect a President, Vice-President and members of the National Assembly.

The country’s National Electoral Council (CNE) registered 16 presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the election, with opinion polls pointing to a three-way race between Andrés Arauz, Guillermo Lasso and Yaku Pérez.

The election took place under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government’s response to the pandemic and the worsening economic situation were key factors for voters.

None of the candidates secured the 40 per cent of votes required for an outright victory, but Andrés Arauz topped the first round by a significant margin and immediately progressed to the run-off.

It was initially unclear which other candidate would contest the run-off poll as the second- and third-placed candidates were neck-and-neck in the preliminary results and the CNE announced recounts would be held in many provinces.

Once the final result of the first round became clear, it was announced Guillermo Lasso would challenge Arauz in the run-off election on 11 April 2021.

Leading up to the second-round run-off, Arauz posted significant leads in opinion polls. However, on election day, Lasso achieved a surprise win and was elected President.