OAS congratulates Ecuadorian president-elect after vote recount

Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-20 12:09:53|Editor: Yamei
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QUITO, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday congratulated Ecuadorian president-elect Lenin Moreno, following a vote recount that confirmed his victory.

In a statement, Diego Pary, the president of the Permanent Council of the OAS, congratulated Moreno on his win on behalf of the 34-member hemispheric bloc.

He also welcomed "the solid democracy demonstrated by the Ecuadorian people."

OAS Chief of Staff Gonzalo Koncke issued his own message, saying: "A vote recount of such a magnitude and under such rules is an exercise in transparency," Ecuador's state news agency Andes reported.

Moreno from the ruling PAIS Alliance on April 2 won a runoff with a small but definitive margin of 51.15 percent, which was later challenged by his conservative rival Guillermo Lasso, a veteran banker making his second run for the presidency.

The dispute led to the decision of the National Electoral Council to hold a partial recount of more than 1.2 million votes on Tuesday, which confirmed the initial result in a process that was broadcast live.

Moreno garnered 51.16 percent of the votes in the recount, while Lasso got 48.84 percent, according to Andes news agency.

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