Ecuador election goes down to the wire

After ruling Ecuador for a decade and being convicted of graft, Rafael Correa lost his political rights and is currently exiled in Belgium. Still, his presence loomed large in the country’s presidential election on Sunday. For the top three candidates in the race, a key part of their platform concerned their stance on the former president — and early results show just how much influence he still wields over the Andean nation. Mr. Correa’s protégé, left-leaning economist Andrés Arauz emerged from Sunday’s first-round election as the head-and-shoulders favorite to win the April 11 runoff, gathering almost one-third of the votes.

At this point, only a momentous shift in opinion would prevent Mr. Arauz from winning the presidency and re-establishing the Correa legacy in Ecuador. However, question marks remain over who he will be facing in April 11’s second round.

With almost 98 percent of ballots tabulated, conservative banker Guillermo Lasso and indigenous leader Yaku Pérez are neck and neck for second place. As things stand, the difference between the two is a mere 15,000 votes.

Ahead by a hair’s breadth is Yaku Pérez, the 51-year-old representative of the indigenous Kichwa-Kañari ethnic group who took part in a series of massive anti-austerity protests in 2019. A union leader with ties to agricultural workers, Mr. Pérez plans to launch credit lines for small farmers and