Latin America saw an electoral “Super Sunday” on April 11 when Ecuador and Peru headed to the polls, with left-wing candidates the slight favourites in both countries. Results confounded expectations as conservatives took the upper hand.
In Ecuador, conservative banker Guillermo Lasso beat young left-leaning economist Andrés Arauz. The rise in violence in the country, which Mr. Lasso called his “top priority”, played a part in the right’s victory. With the homicide rate increasing from 6.8 to 7.7 per 100,000 inhabitants over the period 2019-2020, the neoliberal banker promised a “zero tolerance” policy against violent crime. It seems to...