Ecuadorians voting to elect new president

In the South American country of Ecuador, voters on Sunday are casting their ballots to elect their new president.

With a population of nearly 18 million, over 13 million voters in Ecuador started casting their ballots at 4,390 polling stations across the country as of 7 a.m. local time (1200GMT).

Voting will continue until 5 p.m. local time (2200 GMT).

The election race is between 45-year-old leftist candidate Luisa Gonzalez, supported by former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's party, and the National Democratic Action Alliance candidate Daniel Noboa, a former Congressman.

Diana Atamaint, the president of the National Electoral Council, called on the people to vote. "Today, democracy wins, Ecuador wins," she said.

Facing an unprecedented security crisis in recent months, authorities have deployed approximately 100,000 soldiers and police officers for election security.

Some 300 international observers are reportedly present to monitor the polls.