Andrés Arauz, an economist and a former minister in the government of Rafael Correa, is seen as the favorite to win the Ecuadorian election, with the majority of polls from the period of December 2020 to January 2021 giving him between 35 and 42 percent of the valid votes. That places him ahead of the Right’s preferred candidate, Guillermo Lasso — also the country’s most notorious corporate banker — who has 18 to 36 percent.

"Our main priority, in the short term, is economic recovery. This also depends on the recovery of the health care system."

"If the IMF wants to help us with that Ecuadorian plan, they are welcome — but as the agreement with the IMF is now, we are not going to comply with it."