Ecuador's Correa wins landslide victory

27 April, 2009
Leftist President Rafael Correa has declared victory in the presidential elections as Ecuador's first leader chosen without a runoff in 30 years.

"The people have given us the most splendorous victory of probably the last 50 years," Correa said at a press conference in his home town of Guayaquil Sunday.

A quick count authorized by electoral officials showed that Correa won more than 50% of the vote and had a 20 point lead over his main opponent, Lucio Gutierrez.

Exit polls done for state TV and two independent channels gave Correa at least 54%.

Gutierrez said he could not accept defeat until official results were published and charged that fraud had been detected at some polling stations.

No serious irregularities were seen in Sunday's voting, according to international observers. Partial official results were expected later Sunday night.

The Ecuadorian president vowed to protect the poor from the global financial crisis in his new four-year term.

Since coming to power in 2006, Correa has been a close ally of regional leftists, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.