The sitting conservative president Daniel Noboa has proclaimed himself the winner of the presidential election in Ecuador.
His rival, the left-wing candidate Luisa González, however, wants a recount of the votes and describes the result as a "grotesque" electoral fraud.
When over 90 percent of the votes were counted, Noboa had 55.8 percent against González's 44 percent, according to the electoral authority. Ecuador's highest electoral authority, Diana Atamaint, said on national TV that the figures showed an "irreversible trend" in favor of Noboa.
The election campaign has been marked by a spiral of violence, where major drug cartels want to control smuggling routes through Ecuador. During his time in power, 37-year-old Daniel Noboa has declared a state of emergency and placed military personnel on the streets.
