The electoral precincts open at 7:00 (local time) to receive the more than 13.4 million Ecuadorians summoned to decide the future of the country, although there have already been two days of early voting for prisoners without sentence, disabled people and senior citizens.

As in the first round, the ballot will be held under a state of emergency, decreed by the current president, Guillermo Lasso, and in the middle of the biggest wave of insecurity in the country.

More than 53 thousand police officers and 43 thousand members of the Armed Forces will be deployed throughout the country to protect the security of voters, presidential candidates, elected legislators and local authorities, among others.

The first official results are expected to be released an hour and a half after the beginning of the vote count (17:00, local time), since a quick count is not foreseen.

In Ecuador, voting is mandatory for citizens between 18 and 65 years old, while it is optional for senior citizens and young people between 16 and 18 years old.

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