Lasso wins Ecuador presidency in upset over socialist rival


FILE PHOTO: Ecuador's presidential candidate Andres Arauz attends a closing campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean banker Guillermo Lasso pulled off a surprise win in Sunday's presidential runoff against socialist economist Andres Arauz, putting the country on track to maintain open market policies rather than return to socialism.

The victory, welcome news for investors unnerved over Arauz's promises of heavy social spending in the face of weak state finances, bucks a trend in Latin America of recent ballot box wins for the left in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

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