Ecuadorians voted in a special presidential election that officials described as peaceful, though the electoral council said the voting system used by Ecuadoreans abroad was targeted by several cyberattacks.
Authorities deployed more than 100,000 police and soldiers to protect the vote against more violence. Gen. Fausto Salinas, commander general of the National Police, said one person was arrested for false voting, two for harassment and resisting arrest and more than 20 for unlawfully carrying guns.
"I don't think anyone is going to change anything. On Monday, one will still have to go work to support one's family," he said. The election was called after President Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, dissolved the National Assembly by decree in May to avoid being impeached over allegations that he failed to intervene to end a faulty contract between the state-owned oil transport company and a private tanker company. He decided not to run in the special election.
Members of the military patrol outside a polling station during the presidential elections in Quito, Ecuador, on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023.
Voting is mandatory in Ecuador for people ages 18 through 64. Those who don't comply face a fine of about $45.
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