 "Ecuador votes for new president as nation faces worst crisis in decades")
Some 14 million Ecuadorans began voting Sunday to decide who will lead the violence-wracked Andean nation through its worst crisis in half a century.
Sixteen candidates are vying to become president for the next four years, including hawkish young incumbent Daniel Noboa and his leftist opponent Luisa Gonzalez.
The spike in violence across the South American country is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs.
Sunday’s ballot features 16 candidates, including Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González, whom he defeated in the runoff of a snap election triggered by the decision of then-President Guillermo Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly and shorten his own mandate as a result. Noboa and González had only served short stints as lawmakers before launching their 2023 presidential campaigns.
Noboa and González, a mentee of former President Rafael Correa, are the frontrunners.
With inputs from agencies
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