Ecuador’s center-right President Daniel Noboa fell short of securing an outright majority in the country’s general election, according to results available on Monday, setting the stage for a run-off vote against his nearest leftist rival.

Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election in April between conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González. Crime is a major issue for voters.

An April presidential run-off in Ecuador will pit incumbent Daniel Noboa against leftist Luisa Gonzalez, in an unexpectedly tight contest featuring the same two candidates as a 2023 snap election.

Ecuador's presidential election will go to a second round after a closely contested first-round result failed to produce an outright winner.

Polls have opened in a presidential election in Ecuador that has shaped up to be a repeat of the 2023 race, when voters chose a young, conservative millionaire over the leftist protégée of the country’s most influential president this century.

Noboa says his deployment of the military on the streets and within prisons has reduced violent deaths by 15%, led to a drastic fall in prison violence, and helped in the capture of major gang leaders.

President Daniel Noboa, who is known for his aggressive law-and-order policies, failed to win a majority of votes in his re-election bid on Sunday.