a has around 44.5 percent of the vote, less than one percent ahead of his main rival. louisa gonzalez within 78 percent of the ballots have now been counted. let's bring in eric funds with he's the vice president of the council of the american some joins us live from washington, dc. eric, always good to have you with us. so some observers are saying they already pose overly optimistic. are you surprised the race has been much tighter than predictive for their i will try to be with you and your viewers again. and thanks for inviting me. you know, paul, across was american traditionally are not terribly accurate. they've been getting better in recent years, but there's still lots of difficulties in ecuador as a country with a very rural society and divided society high percentage of indigenous population out there were a lot of candidates and the rates as well. so the accuracy of point, i think, was not going to be entirely perfect this time. so i'm not entirely surprised that indeed the polls were off just built in favor of, of the incumbent, president of all i'm, i'm a report about th

the front runners include the incumbent, president, danielle, and the boy and lawyer, louisa gonzalez. both are promising to be tough on crime. oppose are also open and close to vote where hard 4th parliamentary election is entering its final stages. the vote is expected to be a test for prime minister alban courtesy after his party won in a landslide 4 years ago. cruelty has been at odds with western allies, but his policies towards constables ethnics are minority. and his controversial normalization talks with sort of, you know, so the headlines on alpha 0 and use continues here after witness. and a reminder, you can keep up to date with all the news on our website. that's how she was here at all to stay with us of the i'm told stories from asia and the pacific on now to see the model in the yes minute you came in columbus when it came on and thought i had a case. so yeah, the, the only the only income i just made, i'll just walk out with this team and this individual mind will deal a boiler in boats probably as many kind and like of a 9 the water law that he signed. boy, i'm at $52

that's a slim lead ahead of his main arrival left his lawyer and louisa gonzalez. the result is far closer than opinion. polls have predicted, indicating that the 2nd round could be harder to call. a nationwide rise in drug related gang violence has been the central issue in the election, ecuador, as a, has seen a soaring number of murders, kidnappings and extortion, driven by cartels. those of the headlines and use continues here on out to 0 after the palestine lavar tree to stay with us. we will be right back at the top of our who in 2019 the greek co scott signed to deal with these riley company held it for a full combat suite enabling patrol books to control fleets of drawings and conduct surveillance fabi on the line of science the army acquired in these riley made heron dry and foot board a duty in 2020, and the coast guard his head one seems 2022. this 40 shows the coast gun, illegally pushing and bows at oak creek waters. i mean to turkey schwartz is known as a push back. it's something really experience multiple times. during these attempts to reach grace,

that's a slim lead ahead of his main rival left his lawyer, louisa gonzalez. the result is far closer than opinion. polls had predicted, indicating the 2nd round, could be harder to call. a nationwide rise in drug related gang violence has been the central issue in the election. columbia as presidents, gustavo, petro has ordered his entire cabinet to resign. it comes days after a heated cabinet meeting that was televised live, during which gustavo petro accuse has ministers of under performing. the petro says he's made the decision to ensure greater compliance. the government ministers, 3 government ministers, have quit so far. those are the headlines. the news continues here in alpha 0 after the palestine lamar tree. the the 1st step aside, we looked at how these rails palms and surveillance industry uses its occupation of palestine as a lavar tree to test products in cells around the world. in this episode, i'm visiting some of those customers to see what exactly gets exported. is it just weapons and technology or something more profound? the we're in tucson

the frontrunners include the incumbent, don't know the lawyer, louisa gonzalez, success all. i have the former leftist president rafael, cuz i noticed there was a son that i'm p a t as well the flank by heavy security. the new boy arrives at his final rallying, y a que just 18 months after becoming equis. there's the youngest president at the end of a campaign, short term policy, but the beacon virus funds, including thousands of cardboard cut outs of this 40 president into henry's outfits from a presidential sash to tank tops in gym shorts. before the vote, no boss of victory was assured, but just supporters to gone against fraud. we're no longer a promise with a reality. the countries already made up its mind. now let's protect the votes. let's protect the will of the people doing a short term in office. the hard right here of a banana. fortune has face candles and accusations of abuse of power. declaring any journal on conflict against gangs triggering human rights violations and overseeing an energy crisis. the plunged equity to darkness, yet many voters don't blame him a

electricity grid has struggled to maintain power there, but blackouts across the country for her part. louisa gonzalez has some challenges overall. she's very closely tied to former present rafael for re upped left to ecuador, really and shame under indictment for corruption. he's an exile now and minneapolis of orange really don't want to restore a program. some of the parents that it's not let by him at least as deeply influenced by his candidates. so the people really have a choice that they're gonna have to make in the 2nd round. on april 13th, we'll see how they decide to columbia as president, gustavo petro has ordered his entire cabinet to resign. it comes days after a heated cabinet meeting that was televised live during which federal accuses minister is an under performing. federal says he's made the decision to ensure greater compliance. 3 government ministers have quite so far. any 60 countries are taking part in a final day of naval exercises in protest on the drills include an international feet review, search and rescue operations, and live firing demonstrations outside of events, many o

he's facing competition from louisa gonzalez. i close allied a form i left his president. rafael got out the bow, a has initiated a fish campaign against drunk hotels, with military deployments and emergency emissions could excite his approach has the worst, and the gang violence was sound run. patty reports the flank by heavy security. the new boy arrives at a spring, a rallying boy, a que just 18 months after becoming echo those. the youngest president at the end of a campaign, short and policy, but big and viral sense, including thousands of cardboard cut outs of this for the president in henry's outfits from a presidential sash to tank tops and gym shorts. before the vote, no boss of victory was assured, but just bored to stuttgart against fraud. we are no longer a promise with a reality the countries already made up its mind. now let's protect the votes. let's protect the will of the people. doing is short term in office, the heart right here of a banana. fortune has face candles and accusations of abuse of power, declaring

that's a slim lead ahead of his main arrival left his lawyer, louisa gonzalez. the election was seen as a referendum on the country strongly economy and criminal violence was central run . thea t reports there a tighter than expected race. equis. there's presidential election is set for a run of the month and there's a lot then things you have. if this trend has maintained ecuadorian war tons of the poles on april, the 13 incumbent president then ya know, blah will again face to left is to be that gonzales who lost 2 immuno snap election 18 months ago. 37 year old son of a banana with a cruise took office for housing, the hard line crack down in ecuador spiraling drug related crime. during a short term in office, he declared state of emergency multiple times, deployed the military to fight gangs, and started building a maximum security prison. the government says violence. crime is down 6 team percent. let's create exec use. the military of human rights violations, including extra judicial killings. his rival, a pretty shade of popular but to advise the former p

what do you think louisa gonzalez is hoping to offer that the bow a comp? because this would be her 2nd a presidency time if, if she wants to, when, as well that they not mature a metal or is a, is very polarized. because on the one hand, a career has a very strong and very strong base, we're talking about 35 percent of people are very hard line quarter each does. but there's also a very strong decrease the tendency in the 80 mayflower. so what we're seeing is a, at the same time that there is a referendum on the was a performance, there's also a feeling of what i want to say. the majority of difficult on is that they do not want a graduate back in power. so you have to add this to these 2 tendencies going on right now, and that's, that's what it, what the, these, the results show us. what we have on the one hand, a corporation. what was just being shy away from getting a gift from the catching up to the go up and it was still assumed the lead. okay, thank you very much. oversee those results. i will still be coming in as 5 vote. it's still being counted. a

with around 45 percent, and 2 thirds of the ballots counted already is main. rival is lawyer, louisa. gonzalez, a close ally of for my left, his president, rafael, and she's telling me nearly 44 percent, but i'll just say it was i was on run petty joins us live from booklets in neighboring columbia. a sondors of the vote could now go to a 2nd round focus through the numbers and what's been happening. it's absolutely barren. that is exactly what it seems to be the outcome. i can give you the latest numbers that we speak with as we speak with roughly 75 percent of the votes counted incumbent president. danielle, no boy is leading by 44.6 percent. and his main arrival left is we, is that go inside is following him with 44.02 percent. so best that's less than one percent difference. dividing these 2 main can the base and this is a much tighter rates than what was expected. the most of the polls, the show that the majority of voters was going to vote for that yellow bar for the incumbent president and elections that are seen as a referendum on a no boy was the hard line crack down on crime in the c