Arauz wins first round of Ecuador vote, runner-up too close to call

A soldier carries cardboard for ballot boxes at a polling station ahead of Ecuador's presidential election on February 7, in Quito, February 6, 2021. The writing on the cardboard reads "The vote is secret." REUTERS/Johanna Alarcon

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean economist Andres Arauz on Sunday won a first round victory in the country's presidential election, moving the Andean nation a step closer to socialism following years of austerity measures made more painful by the pandemic.

The 36-year-old protege of former president Rafael Correa advances to an April 11 run-off, but it was still too close to call whether he would face environmental activist Yaku Perez or conservative banker Guillermo Lasso.