Polls have opened in a presidential election in Ecuador that has shaped up to be a repeat of the 2023 race, when voters chose a young, conservative millionaire over the leftist protégée of the country’s most influential president this century.

Ecuador's presidential race will go to an April runoff if current trends in the count continue, Diana Atamaint, the head of the national electoral council said late on Sunday, as incumbent Daniel Noboa led leftist Luisa Gonzalez by less than 1% in the tally.

Ecuador's closer-than-expected presidential election is likely headed for an April runoff between two very different candidates who have faced each other three times already.

Incumbent President Daniel Noboa clutched onto a razor-thin lead in violence-hit Ecuador's election Sunday, after a stronger-than-expected challenge from a leftist rival who looked set to force a second-round run-off.

A run-off looked likely in Ecuador's presidential race late on Sunday, as leftist Luisa Gonzalez climbed nearer to incumbent Daniel Noboa in a half-finished vote tally. Noboa is leading the count with 45.