Ecuadorian presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez speaks during a presidential election night event, in Quito, Ecuador August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro
QUITO (Reuters) - Leftist candidate Luisa Gonzalez and her surprise challenger Daniel Noboa beat out six other rivals in a first round of voting in Ecuador's presidential race on Sunday, in a contest clouded by the murder of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Gonzalez had about 33% of the vote and Noboa was tallying 24% with more than 70% of ballot boxes counted. The two candidates will face each other in a second round on Oct. 15.
