Lenín Moreno Wins Ecuador’s Second Round for President

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Lenín Moreno, of the ruling socialist Alianza País, or AP, amassed a bit more than 51% of the vote over Guillermo Lasso, of the center-right Creando Oportunidades movement, or CREO, who garnered just shy of 49%. Moreno won the first-round vote with 39% to Lasso’s 28%, but fell short of the necessary 40% to avoid a runoff. Though losing, Lasso united the opposition vote behind his promise to create a million jobs and eliminate a number of different taxes. The election was closely watched in Latin America, where the so-called “Pink Tide” of leftist leaders has been ebbing of late. Argentina, Brazil and Peru have all shifted to the right over the last couple of years as the region’s economies have slipped into a severe recession, and political leaders of various stripes have been caught up in a series of corruption scandals. Interpretations of the election’s meaning, not surprisingly, varied a great deal.

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