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More than 100,000 police and soldiers have taken up positions to protect people voting for Ecuador’s next president

Quito, Aug 20 (Prensa Latina) The early presidential elections in Ecuador are taking place today under a State of Emergency and intense wildfires, in which 13.45 million voters are called to elect the new president among four main candidates.

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Ecuador is holding a special election Sunday to pick a new president, with police and soldiers on guard against unprecedented violence, including the assassination of a candidate this month. Front-runners include an ally of exiled former President Rafael Correa and a millionaire with a security background promising to be tough on crime. “I don’t think the election will change anything,” said pharmacist Leidy Aguirre, 28, who has gradually stopped going out with friends over the past three years, out of fear of being robbed.

Ecuadorians are voting in presidential and legislative elections that have been overshadowed by political assassinations and violence driven by criminal organizations vying for control of the country’s drug trafficking routes.