Ecuador citizens have participated in presidential and congressional elections amid the backdrop of violence, per BBC.

To ensure security, approximately 100,000 police and soldiers were mobilized to safeguard polling stations.

Preliminary Ecuador election results are anticipated to trickle in on the same night, while the final tally is projected to be finalized within ten days.

In addition to selecting the president, voters will vote to elect representatives for the 137-seat parliament.

The decision to hold these elections was prompted by President Guillermo Lasso's dissolution of the opposition-led Congress in May, a move aimed at averting an impeachment trial just two years following his initial election.

To win in the first round, a candidate must secure 40 percent of the votes or maintain a 10-point lead over their closest contender.

Should a runoff election be necessary, it is scheduled for October 15. The incoming president will officially assume office on October 26, serving the remaining term of President Lasso, which amounts to approximately a year and a half.

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Ecuador Election's Early Results Shows Possible Match Between Luisa González and Daniel Noboa

With over 75% of votes counted by late Sunday, leftist Luisa González led with approximately 33% support, followed by former lawmaker Daniel Noboa, son of banana tycoon, Alvaro Noboa, with around 24%.

To win the election outright, a candidate needed either 50% of the vote or a minimum of 40% with a 10-point lead over the nearest competitor.

Christian Zurita claimed the third spot with 16%, although his name wasn't originally on the ballot.

He stood in for Fernando Villavicencio, whose recent murder exposed the nation's worries about the surge in violence over the past three years.

Luisa González, a lawyer, and former lawmaker emerged as the front-runner in opinion polls.

Her campaign emphasized her affiliation with the party of former president Correa, who, despite being found guilty of corruption in 2020, still wields significant influence from his exile in Belgium since 2017.

Among the candidates, 40-year-old right-wing businessman Jan Topic has experienced a notable surge in popularity. Dubbed "Rambo," he's a former paratrooper and sniper with the French Foreign Legion, pledging to combat criminal gangs and increase prison infrastructure, mirroring the approach of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.

Additional, prominent contenders include former right-wing Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner and left-wing Indigenous lawyer Yaku Perez.

Ecuador Presidential Candidates Promise to Fight Organized Crimes

The eight presidential candidates have been campaigning while wearing bulletproof vests, focusing their pledges on combatting organized crime, Al Jazeera noted.

Ecuador, a small South American nation, has increasingly become a target for foreign drug cartels seeking to traffic cocaine, leading to a violent clash among local gangs.

In the lead-up to the Ecuador election, the country's political landscape has been marred by several political assassinations, including the killing of a prominent presidential contender, Fernando Villavicencio, just 11 days before the vote.

Political scientist Anamaria Correa Crespo characterizes the elections as highly unusual, occurring within a backdrop of distress and horror brought on by the escalating violence within Ecuador.

The murder of Villavicencio further intensified the gravity of the situation.

In 2022, Ecuador recorded a record high of 26 homicides per 100,000 residents, surpassing the rates observed in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil.

The surge in violence has cast a shadow over the nation, emphasizing the urgency of addressing these security concerns.

READ MORE: Ecuador: Gang Leader Moved to Maximum Security Following Presidential Candidate Assassination 

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Political violence plaguing Ecuador's presidential election - From News Australia