Ecuador urged to show 'transparency' in presidential vote

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN) have called on Ecuador to provide transparency in the country's recent presidential election, amid electoral uncertainty that has prompted a major vote recount.

Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) said on Friday that it had decided to recount six million votes — about 45 percent of the ballots cast — following a request from the two candidates battling for second place.

On Monday, the OAS called on the top Ecuadorian electoral body to "provide guarantees of certainty and transparency" to the political parties that had been involved in the February 7 presidential vote.

The Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the OAS in Ecuador expressed "concern about the lack of definition by the electoral authority" and said it was "paying close attention to the latest developments in the electoral process."

It also urged the CNE to "guarantee compliance with the electoral calendar" for the April run-off vote.

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The recount was requested by indigenous presidential candidate Yaku Perez and his rival, right-wing former banker Guillermo Lasso. Perez received 19.38 percent of the vote, and Lasso garnered 19.74 percent.

That makes it uncertain who will go to the second round to face off with leftist economist Andres Arauz, a protégé of former socialist president Rafael Correa who received 32.7 percent of the votes, which is not enough to win outright.

Perez has alleged voter fraud. Pre-election votes had put Lasso comfortably in second place, but Perez performed far better than expected. He was initially in second place before he went down slightly to fall behind Lasso.

Perez said a recount would offer a chance "to demonstrate to the country that there is no fraud, that the electoral process was transparent."

Indigenous and leftist groups this month held several peaceful rallies in support of Perez in front of the electoral authority headquarters in the capital city, Quito, and Guayaquil, a large port city in the southwest.

The OAS statement also called for "public demonstrations to be carried out in a peaceful manner and for political parties to settle their differences via institutional channels."

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN)'s office in Ecuador also called for "transparency and promptness" in the vote recount.

The office said it "trusts that the electoral authorities will act with efficiency, transparency and promptness, thus ensuring the timeliness of the electoral calendar."

Incumbent President Lenin Moreno's term in office ends on May 24.

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