The first official results of the presidential elections in Quito, Ecuador, on Sunday indicate that it is unlikely that President Daniel Noboa will be re-elected in the first round. With 9% of the votes counted,

Ecuador's leftist presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez claimed Sunday's election was a "statistical tie," as the vote appeared set to go to a

Noboa says his deployment of the military on the streets and within prisons has reduced violent deaths by 15%, led to a drastic fall in prison violence, and helped in the capture of major gang leaders.

People on the streets of Ecuador can rattle off the places they have encountered criminals: On the bus, at the park, on the sidewalk, in a cab, by the mall, next to a restaurant.

Ecuadorians headed to the polls on Sunday, with increased security precautions, to elect a new president and vice president, as well as national and regional assembly members. Voting began at 7 am local time (1200GMT) across 4,349 centers in the country’s 24 provinces, with over 13 million eligible voters participating.

A run-off looked likely in Ecuador's presidential race late on Sunday, as leftist Luisa Gonzalez climbed nearer to incumbent Daniel Noboa in a half-finished vote tally. Noboa is leading the count with 45.