Ecuadorians voted in presidential and parliament elections that were marred by violence.
To protect the polls, 100,000 police and soldiers were deployed.
A presidential contender was killed earlier this month. Others have stated that shootings have harmed their campaigns.
President Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, called the election after dissolving parliament to avoid impeachment.
Luisa Gonzales, an ally of socialist ex-President Rafael Correa, has emerged as the favorite among the eight lawmakers standing for the presidency.
Ms Gonzalez had slightly more than 32% of the vote after 10% of the ballots had been counted. Daniel Noboa Azin, a businessman, was her closest competitor, with 25%.
Unless one of the candidates receives 40% of the vote or establishes a 10-point lead in the race, there will be a second round of voting for the presidency.
The new president will take office on October 26 and will serve only the remaining year and a half of Mr Lasso’s tenure.
The assassination of candidate Fernando Villavicencio in the capital of Quito on August 9 has made the election difficult to forecast.
It has also placed a strong emphasis on peace and security. During the campaign, bulletproof jackets were seen, and many candidates scaled back their closing events.
Gunfire occurred in a restaurant where conservative candidate Otto Sonnenholzner was having breakfast on Saturday. The incident occurred in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, which has been taken over by drug traffickers.
Mr Sonnenholzner is not thought to have been the intended victim. However, gang attacks have increased during the campaign.
‘I’m always wearing a bulletproof vest.’
As Ecuador heads to the elections, narcopolitics reign supreme.
During a rally held by fellow contender Daniel Noboa, a similar shooting occurred. In northern Esmeraldas province, a local politician was assassinated.
Mr Villavicencio was a fiery journalist who exposed corruption and exposed linkages between organized crime and officials.
Six Colombian citizens have been arrested in connection with his assassination.
