Ecuadorian candidate Noboa congratulates his team

Ecuadorian right-wing candidate Daniel Noboa thanked his team and supporters after coming second in the first round of the presidential election, grabbing 24 percent of the votes with 95 percent of votes counted.

Noboa will face leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez in the runoff on October 15. Gonzalez was leading with 33 percent of the vote, as 80 percent of the vote was counted. President of the National Electoral Council said results showed no candidate had hit the threshold to win outright, after a tense day of voting under heavy security.

The murder of serious presidential contender Fernando Villavicencio on the campaign trail just 11 days before the vote underscored the challenges facing the country. Soldiers and police searched voters at the entry to polling stations, while some of the eight presidential candidates wore helmets and bulletproof vests to cast their ballots.