Ecuadorians vote Sunday for president after a campaign dominated by demands for safety

By REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorians will choose a new president Sunday, less than two weeks after the South American country was shaken by the assassination of one of the candidates. The winner of the vote faces a universal demand for safety, but the incoming administration will find it hard to fund their crime-fighting promises as oil revenue and tax collections shrink. Ecuador’s unprecedented violence has left people fearful of leaving their homes. So though voting is mandatory for most adults, people may stay home and pay the fine rather than risk going to the polls. The interior minister says more than 100,000 police and military officers are being deployed to secure the election process.