Ecuador's Presidential Election Set For A Run-off

Ecuador's presidential election will go to a second round after a closely contested first-round result failed to produce an outright winner.
The electoral authorities called it a "technical tie" after the incumbent centre-right Daniel Noboa and his main left-wing challenger Luisa Gonzalez received nearly identical percentages of the vote.
The result is far narrower than opinion polls predicted, indicating the second round could be harder to call. The narrow result also dashed the hopes of Noboa's supporters, who had been buoyed by an early exit poll suggesting he might clinch victory outright.
The president's supporters gathered in Quito, waving flags, donning T-shirts with his image and holding life-size cardboard cut-outs of the incumbent president.
Following the technical tie, the pair will now face a run-off in April.