'We are afraid': Voting begins in tense Ecuador election

QUITO - Amid heavy security, Ecuadorans headed to the polls Sunday in a presidential election tarnished by the murder of a top candidate, as the once-peaceful nation suffers from violence fueled by the illicit global drug trade.

The murder on the campaign trail of presidential contender Fernando Villavicencio just 11 days before the vote traumatized the country and reshuffled the electoral cards, with none of the eight contenders expected to get an absolute majority, likely forcing a runoff on Oct 15.

"The most serious problem is insecurity," said voter Eva Hurtado, 40, as she left a polling station north of the capital Quito on Sunday morning. "So many crimes, assassinations, disappearances. We are afraid." Polls opened at 7.00am local (1200 GMT) and voting was to go on until 5:00 pm. Soldiers in body armor were deployed across the country to safeguard the process, and presidential candidates were wearing helmets and bulletproof vests.

Ecuadorans were picking a successor to conservative leader Guillermo Lasso, who called a snap election to avoid an impeachment trial just two years after coming to power.

"Ecuador approaches this election day in a difficult situation, but at the same time full of hope," Lasso said as polls opened.

He called on Ecuadorans to "stop the advance of authoritarian projects which endanger the stability of the country." Long an island of stability in Latin America, in recent years Ecuador has become a playground for foreign drug mafia seeking to export cocaine, stirring up a brutal war between local gangs.

"Ecuadorans are going to vote with three feelings: fear of insecurity... pessimism regarding the economic situation and distrust of the political class," political scientist Santiago Cahuasqui of the SEK International University told AFP.

Voter Luis Laguas, who was waiting to cast his ballot outside Quito, agreed.

"Unfortunately, this government has not had the intelligence to handle death, crime," he said. "A strong hand is needed." In 2022, the country hit a record of 26 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, higher than the rate in Colombia, Mexico or Brazil.

Lasso dissolved Congress in May to avoid an impeachment amid a corruption trial.

Leading the polls before Villavicencio's murder was Luisa Gonzalez, 45, a lawyer from the leftist party of former president Rafael Correa.

However, observers say the assassination may have shaken up the race.

Villavicencio, who was polling second before his murder, was replaced last-minute by another journalist, Christian Zurita.

"I am going to do everything possible to honor your word, your conscience, your thoughts, your ethics, your moral stature," Zurita, 53, said of his slain colleague during a recent interview with AFP.

Hours ahead of the vote, Zurita said he was receiving death threats on social media.

"The threats against my life and my team will not stop us, but they are forcing us to take greater security protocols," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding that his party had alerted authorities and election observers.

Political analysts say the candidate who has seen the biggest boost to his popularity is 40-year-old right-wing businessman Jan Topic.

Nicknamed "Rambo," the former paratrooper and sniper with the French Foreign Legion has vowed to wipe out criminal gangs and build more prisons, emulating El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.

Other leading candidates are right-wing former vice president Otto Sonnenholzner and leftist Indigenous attorney Yaku Perez.

In one of the world's most biodiverse countries, two key referendums are taking place on Sunday alongside the election.

One will ask voters to choose whether to continue oil drilling in the Amazon, and another focuses on whether to forbid mining activities in the Choco Andino forest.

To win in the first round a candidate must capture 40 percent of the votes or come 10 points ahead of their nearest competitor. A potential ruVoff is scheduled for October 15.

The new president will take office on October 26 and will serve only the remainder of Lasso's term, a year and a half.

Voters will also elect members of the 137-seat parliament.

Initial results are expected to trickle in late Sunday, with a final tally expected in 10 days. - AFP