Ruling party candidate leads presidential vote

The hand-picked candidate of socialist President Rafael Correa took the lead in early results from Ecuador’s presidential election Sunday, and was just under the threshold needed to win outright and avoid a runoff against his nearest rival.

With more than 24 percent of polling stations reporting, ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno had nearly 38 percent of the votes, compared with 31 percent for former banker Guillermo Lasso. Exit polls had indicated a tight race, with one predicting the two would have to face off in an April runoff.