QUITO: Ecuador voted on Sunday in general elections that could see a pillar of the Latin American left swing to the right — and potentially deprive WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of his place of refuge in London.

President Rafael Correa, who is not running, expressed confidence that his party’s candidate, Lenin Moreno, would win in the first round. “They want to give the impression it’s going to a second round. The polls clearly say the contrary,” he said after casting his ballot at an elementary school in Quito.

“Let’s await the results and, in a democratic spirit, accept the will of the Ecuadoran people expressed at the polls.”

The vote puts Correa’s legacy into question. He is marking the end of 10 years in power during three terms as one of Latin America’s leading leftists and an outspoken critic of the United States.

It could also alter the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The two leading conservative candidates have said that if they win, they will evict him from Ecuador’s London embassy, where he has taken refuge for fear of extradition to the United States. Although opinion polls indicate Moreno will probably win Sunday’s first-round vote, his lead may not be big enough to avoid a runoff in April against one of his conservative rivals, most likely Lasso.

Analysts say voters fed up with Correa may rally behind any conservative candidate who gets through to the second round.

Polls show a high ratio of undecided voters. “Any party could beat the governing one in the second round because there is major resistance to and rejection of the government,” said political scientist Paolo Moncagatta of Quito’s San Francisco University.

But Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think-tank in Washington was more cautious.“It is a mistake to underestimate the strength of support for Correa’s side,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 20th , 2017