Whoever wins will take over from President Lenin Moreno on May 24 and will immediately face an economic crisis exacerbated by a 7.8 percent contraction in GDP in 2020.
Ecuador’s labour unions, along with its sizeable indigenous population, are fed up with the IMF-imposed policies of the socialist President Lenin Moreno.
The government's removal of fuel subsidies last week plunged Ecuador into upheaval, triggering protests, looting, vandalism, clashes with security forces, the blocking of highways and the suspension of parts of its vital oil industry.
Thousands of protesters are seeking to intensify pressure on Ecuador's president after a week of unrest sparked by fuel price hikes.
Violence has persisted in the country's capital since last week when President Lenín Moreno's decision to end subsidies led to a sharp increase in fuel prices.
The umbrella indigenous organisation CONAIE says demonstrations would continue until President Lenin Moreno withdraws last week's measure to eliminate fuel subsidies.
Interim results of Sunday's referendum show 64 percent of ballots in favour of restoring the measure which prevents presidents from running indefinitely, effectively barring ex-president Rafael Correa from making a comeback.
Sunday's referendum has featured seven questions including reintroducing term limits to prevent presidents from running indefinitely.
Julian Assange became an Ecuadoran citizen in December, in what appears to have been an unsuccessful move to get him out of the London embassy where he has been holed up for the past five years.
Jorge Glas was handed a six-year jail term for taking bribes worth a total $13.5 million from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
With voters in Ecuador torn between continuity and change, the presidential election remains too close to call.
Leftist candidate Lenin Morena had a clear lead on Sunday's election over his adversary ex-banker Guillermo Lasso, but was just shy of the 40 percent of the vote needed for an outright victory.
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