Quito — A socialist economist feared by bond investors won the first round of Ecuador’s presidential election, and will face either an environmentalist or a conservative banker in a runoff after an unexpectedly close fight for second place.

Andres Arauz, who rejects austerity measures and attacked Ecuador’s 2020 deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), got 31.5% of votes cast, according to the quick count published by the electoral authority late on Sunday...

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