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 center-right President Daniel Noboa fell short of securing an outright majority in the country’s general election, according to results available on Monday, setting the stage for a run-off vote against his nearest leftist rival.

The official outcome of Sunday's vote gave Noboa 44.15% of the votes cast, followed by 43.95% for leftist challenger Luisa Gonzalez - an outcome closer than predicted by opinion polls.