incumbent

The president's supporters gathered in Quito, waving flags, donning T-shirts with his image and holding life-size cardboard cut-outs of the incumbent president.

Recruiting the right candidates in the Senate to match the politics of each state, and to defeat Republican incumbents while avoiding divisive primaries, will help narrow the current gap.

That's why security is the top issue for voters ahead of the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, in which incumbent Daniel Noboa is being challenged by 15 other candidates.

His replacement will be the 106th appointment to the role, the incumbent of which is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Church.

The challenge came after Appellate Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican, sought to challenge his electoral defeat, twice confirmed with recounts, to incumbent Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs in the state's Supreme Court race.