Ecuador’s center-right President Daniel Noboa fell short of securing an outright majority in the country’s general election, according to results available on Monday, setting the stage for a run-off vote against his nearest leftist rival.

Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election in April between conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González. Crime is a major issue for voters.

Daniel Noboa and his main challenger Luisa Gonzalez received near identical percentages of the vote.

An April presidential run-off in Ecuador will pit incumbent Daniel Noboa against leftist Luisa Gonzalez, in an unexpectedly tight contest featuring the same two candidates who were in a 2023 snap election.

Polls have opened in a presidential election in Ecuador that has shaped up to be a repeat of the 2023 race, when voters chose a young, conservative millionaire over the leftist protégée of the country’s most influential president this century.