This week, we break down the surprising electoral results in Peru and Ecuador. And the migratory crisis which has been muffled by the pandemic.
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Guillermo Lasso triumphs in Ecuador
After narrowingly qualifying for the runoff stage, former banker Guillermo Lasso mounted a surprising comeback to win a four-year presidential term in Ecuador, defeating left-leaning economist Andrés Arauz. After the first round in February, Mr. Arauz seemed to be the head-and-shoulders favorite, but Mr. Lasso’s cause was helped by a few factors, principally his tough-on-crime stance.
The Yaku vote. In the first round, indigenous leader Yaku Pérez finished in third, just 32,000 votes behind Mr. Lasso. The president-elect only overtook Mr. Pérez at the end of the count, leading to accusations of fraud and prompting a call for a boycott of the second round by indigenous Ecuadorians.
- Almost 2 million voters spoiled their ballots (18 percent), which suggests that a Pérez-Arauz alliance in the runoff would have been enough to push the latter over the finish line.