Quito, Apr 19 (IANS): The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Ecuador has proclaimed former banker and three-time presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso as the winner of the second round of presidential elections held on April 11, with 52.36 per cent of votes.

Lasso, the right-of-centre candidate in his third presidential campaign, edged out Andres Arauz, a progressive candidate endorsed by former President Rafael Correa, who received 47.64 per cent of votes, Xinhua news agency quoted the CNE as saying on Sunday.

The President of the CNE, Diana Atamaint, affirmed that the organisation has complied with the electoral process and has enforced respect for the will of the people expressed at the polls.

She pointed out that, despite the difficulties in carrying out the elections due to the Covid-19 pandemic, "we did so in accordance with the law and thinking about the democracy of our country".

According to official results, 82.62 per cent of voters participated in the April 11 elections, which is equivalent to 10,829,823 out of a little more than 13 million people who were eligible to vote.