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.

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 who were in a 2023 snap election.

With about 90 percent of the ballots counted, Noboa had garnered 44.4 percent of the vote and rival Luisa Gonzalez was on 43.9 percent, official results showed

Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election after conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González garnered enough votes Sunday to beat 14 other candidates.

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.

Ecuador's presidential election will proceed to a second round runoff in April as no candidate seems to be able to win outright after more than 90 percent of the vote were counted. With 92.82 percent of the vote counted,

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.

A run-off looked likely in Ecuador's presidential race late on Sunday, as leftist Luisa Gonzalez climbed nearer to incumbent Daniel Noboa in a half-finished vote tally. Noboa is leading the count with 45.

The Latin American country’s incumbent centre-right leader Daniel Noboa faces a tight race against left-wing challenger Luisa González.