Early results in Sunday's special presidential election in Ecuador pointed to a leftist backed by the country's fugitive ex-president likely facing a runoff with the son of a banana tycoon.
Ecuadorians voted amid unprecedented violence that even claimed the life of a presidential candidate at the end of a campaign rally less than two weeks before the election.
Leftist Luisa Gonzalez appeared set to advance to an Oct. 15 runoff, according to early results released by electoral authorities. She would likely face Daniel Noboa, a former lawmaker and the son of Alvaro Noboa, who built his wealth on a huge banana-growing and exporting business.
Gonzalez has said she would have former President Rafael Correa as her adviser if she wins. Correa remains a major force in Ecuador despite being found guilty of corruption in 2020 and sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. He has been living in his wife's native Belgium since 2017.
One of Correa's loudest critics was Fernando Villavicencio, the journalist-turned-presidential candidate killed Aug. 9 in Quito, the capital. One of Villavicencio's investigations led to the criminal proceedings and subsequent conviction of Correa.
Noboa, 35, was the youngest of the eight candidates and had not appeared higher than fifth place in opinion polls prior to the election. His father also attempted to be Ecuador's president.
With just over half the votes counted, results from the National Electoral Council put Gonzalez in the lead with about 33 per cent of support. Noboa had about 24 per cent. To win outright, a candidate needed 50 per cent of the vote, or to have at least 40 per cent with a 10-point lead over the closest opponent.
Presidential candidate Luisa González, of the Citizen's Revolution Political Movement, waves upon her arrival to a polling station in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Aug. 20, 2023. The election was called after President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree in May to avoid being impeached. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Results also put Christian Zurita in third place. His name was not on the ballot, but he substituted for Villavicencio, whose killing laid bare people's fears over unprecedented violence in the country they considered peaceful up until three years ago.
Much of the country yearns for the prosperity under Correa but those years left the country with a huge fiscal deficit and billions in debt.
The country's National Police tallied 3,568 violent deaths in the first six months of this year, far more than the 2,042 reported during the same period in 2022. That year ended with 4,600 violent deaths, the country's highest in history and double the total in 2021.
Members of Parliament debated the second Conservative motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government of the week on Thursday, amid simmering tensions.
Helene strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane ahead of its expected landfall on Florida's northwest coast Thursday night, forecasters said, warning that the enormous storm could create a 'nightmare' surge in coastal areas and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S.
Mounties in Nunavut have made an arrest in the murder of a 15-year-old girl almost 40 years ago.
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An Air Canada flight headed to Toronto from Frankfurt diverted to Edinburgh due to an emergency Thursday, the airline says.
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Mounties in Nunavut have made an arrest in the murder of a 15-year-old girl almost 40 years ago.
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Vancouver police blocked traffic and the SkyTrain's Millennium Line suspended service to VCC-Clark Station due to an "unstable crane" in the area Thursday.
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A lawyer defending a 14-year-old accused of setting a classmate on fire says 'voices told her to do things' prior to a fiery attack which severely injured a classmate and a teacher at Evan Hardy Collegiate earlier this month.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry out 'full force' strikes against Hezbollah until it ceases firing rockets across the border, dimming hopes for a ceasefire proposal put forth by U.S. and European officials.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in a five-count criminal indictment unsealed on Thursday, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to face criminal charges. Here are some accusations in the indictment, which have not been proven in court.
Changes in Russia's nuclear doctrine that were announced by President Vladimir Putin are intended to discourage Ukraine's Western allies from supporting attacks on Russia, the Kremlin said Thursday.
In her first interview in more than two years, former U.S. first lady Melania Trump said she saw her husband's survival in two attempts on his life as 'miracles' and offered new details about the former president, including his desire to have more children.
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Despite making up more than 4.5 per cent of Canada’s population, less than one per cent of the country's physicians identify as Indigenous, according to the Canadian Medical Association.
A Canadian pharmaceutical company is warning consumers not to use some of its eye drops because of potential microbial growth that may result in eye infections.
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen feels 'extremely hopeful' about society's ability to push social media platforms into being safer but for change to come, she says these companies need to be motivated in a new way.
OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati — who has been instrumental in the development of ChatGPT and the artificial intelligence image generator Dall-E — said Wednesday she is leaving the company.
A Canadian school photography company says it was hit by a ransomware attack that held about 3,500 photos of students in several Saskatchewan school divisions hostage, among others across the country.
Canadian singer K’naan has been charged with sexual assault after being arrested by police in Quebec City.
British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been barred from being a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years after the poverty charity she founded nearly two decades ago was deemed Thursday to have been 'poorly governed' with 'inadequate financial management.'
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Open AI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman (C) speaks at the Advancing Sustainable Development through Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI event on Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (Bryan R. Smith/Pool Photo via AP)
Billionaire Elon Musk's social media site X has complied with Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes' orders and requested its service be re-established in the country, a source said Thursday.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Regina and John Zdravich left the U.S. for Italy after falling in love with the European country, then unexpectedly found themselves 'homeless.'
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The Chicago White Sox averted a record-breaking loss for the third straight day, beating the Los Angeles Angels 7-0 on Thursday behind Chris Flexen's sharp pitching performance.
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A bizarre discovery was made on a dirt road in Clearview Township.
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As Saskatchewan awaits the election call, how are voters feeling about the leaders of Saskatchewan’s two major parties? CTV News sought to find out, in partnership with Insightrix Research.
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A Royal Canadian Navy warship was rearmed with missiles and munitions in Australia this week, marking the first ever overseas rearmament for the service's Halifax-class frigates.
A member of the Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service has been charged with voyeurism following an investigation into allegations he filmed sexual encounters without the consent of his partners, the B.C. RCMP announced Thursday.
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