The candidate supported by Podemos, Andrés Arauz, loses the presidential elections in Ecuador

The correista candidate Andrés Arauz was defeated this Sunday by the conservative Guillermo Lasso in the second round of the presidential elections in Ecuador. The winner has described the day in the country as a “historic day”, since Ecuadorians have voted for “the need for change and better days for all.” Arauz had the support of Podemos and, especially, the Chavista consultancy Neurona and the political scientist Juan Carlos Monedero. In fact, that company was denounced before the General Prosecutor’s Office of the country for “organized crime” for its contract with the correista candidate. Now, the aspiring president has been outnumbered by Guillermo Lasso, candidate of the CREO Movement, who has managed to reverse the results of the first round, in which Arauz, of the Union for Hope (UNES) won. Therefore, Lasso will be the new president of Ecuador. With more than 98% of the votes counted, and in the absence of the official announcement of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Lasso has delivered a speech of thanks in front of a crowd that chanted “Long live President!”. With a narrow margin, Lasso has managed to overcome with 52.49% of the votes Arauz, who has achieved 47.51%. For his part, Arauz has accepted defeat. He has stated that it is time for “honest reflection, real self-criticism.” In any case, he has assured that he had in his “mind and heart” that he would win to “promote true transformation policies.” “Power has not been a whim for me, my only intention is to be a public servant. I will continue to serve the people of Ecuador, from the trench that touches us we will be serving our people, building programmatically, with depth of ideas, training the next generations, “he added.Likewise, he has pledged to continue “working to make all my policies and proposals come true for the good of Ecuador and the Ecuadorian people.” Shortly after, Lasso indicated on Twitter that Arauz had called him to congratulate him on the victory and thanked him for his «Commitment to strengthening democracy in our country. With Ecuador from the Meeting we all win, “added the new president. Congratulations have also come from the still president of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, who wished him” the greatest success for the benefit of Ecuadorians “and who has celebrated that “the Ecuadorian people have demonstrated democratic maturity in a peaceful and transparent electoral day.” “They will find us ready to dialogue, talk and work,” he added, while adding that “in everything that is against the benefit of the great majority, they will find us working to avoid it.” For his part, the former president Rafael Correa, who was Arauz’s campaign partner, has also accepted defeat and admitted that “we sincerely believed we were winning, but our projections were wrong.” Thus, he wished Lasso «luck», since «his success will be that of Ecuador. I only ask you to stop the lawfare, which destroys lives and families. ”Presidential speech Lasso thanked the Ecuadorian people for their support. “I want to thank the Ecuadorians who have given me their trust, who have come out to vote with a democratic spirit,” he declared. He points out that electoral day “has sent a strong message: Ecuadorians believe in democracy, we believe in freedom.” Lasso has emphasized that “today is a day of celebration.Democracy has triumphed and Ecuadorians have chosen a new course, one very different from that of the last 14 years in Ecuador. He has given thanks “for being part of the Ecuador of the meeting, thanks for giving me the opportunity to be their president and to be able to serve them”, as Europa Press collects. “From next May 24 we will assume with responsibility the challenge of changing the destinies of our homeland and to achieve for all an Ecuador of opportunity and prosperity that we yearn for, ”said the winner. The new president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso. (Photo: Europa Press) Among other people, he has addressed his expressions of gratitude to his running mate, “now the elected vice president of Ecuador,” Alfredo Borrego, as well as to the former mayor of Guayaquil Jaime Nebod and the Social Christian party, “who have supported a political project for the benefit of Ecuador. The president of the CNE, Diana Atamaint, has detailed that she will be installed in a Public Scrutiny Hearing until this Wednesday, when 100% of the votes counted and the final result will be officially made public. Some international leaders, such as Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, have already congratulated Lasso on the victory. “I just spoke with Guillermo Lasso to congratulate him on his triumph and to get to work together on the issues that our countries have in common,” said the president, even before the official publication of the results. Also the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, has conveyed his congratulations to the new president through a telephone call, as indicated on his Twitter account. «Good luck Guillermo, who is a good personal friend and a great friend from Chile.He will have a great challenge in moving Ecuador forward and improving the life of the great Ecuadorian people, “he added. Another of the regional leaders who joined Lasso’s greetings was the President of Colombia, Iván Duque, who stressed that Both have talked about “working together for the region” and continuing “to strengthen our commercial relations, security and Andean integration for the benefit of our countries.” “Our congratulations to the president-elect of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, and to the Ecuadorian people for this democratic day, “said the Paraguayan leader, Mario Abdo Benítez, as well as his Panamanian counterpart, Nito Cortizo, who has conveyed his desire to strengthen” the traditional and historical ties of friendship and brotherhood “that unite nations The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has joined, who has congratulated both Lasso “for his victory in the second electoral round” and I thank Arauz “for his respect for democratic institutions.” The OAS “looks forward to working with the president-elect in strengthening democracy, human rights, security, and development.”