ECUADOR’S conservative presidential hopeful Guillermo Lasso claimed ballot fraud and urged insurrection on Monday night ahead of any result.

The Creating Opportunities (Creo/I Believe) candidate seized on the unprecedented delay as counting in Sunday’s presidential vote continued into yesterday.

With 92 per cent of polling stations declared on Monday night, ruling left-wing Pais Alliance candidate Lenin Moreno led comfortably with 39 per cent of the vote.

That put him 11 points ahead of his closest rival Mr Lasso and tantalisingly close to the 40 per cent threshold to avoid a run-off election between the two.

Later police cordoned off the area around the Pais Alliance headquarters in the capital after receiving a bomb threat, Telesur’s correspondent reported.

Mr Lasso claimed victory and urged supporters to stay mobilised.

He warned the CNE: “Don’t mess with the will of the Ecuadorian people,” vowing: “We will take to the streets and the government will need to take responsibility.”

Mr Lasso called CNE president Juan Pablo Pozo’s announcement that full results would be available in three days a shameless attempt to “get their hands” on the ballots.

“He only responds to the interests of his boss” — by implication the outgoing leftwing president, Rafael Correa.

Mr Lasso said he had called several regional presidents and Organisation of American States (OAS) secretary-general Luis Almagro in protest.

But election observers from the OAS and regional bloc Unasur had already declared the election transparent.

“It’s striking to me that there is a loser politician out there calling for violence,” Mr Moreno said on Monday night.

“This can’t be tolerated. We’re a nation of peace and we want to continue that way.”

The army said it would ensure “the will of the people is guaranteed 100 per cent” but demanded “transparent electoral scrutiny for the good of the peaceful coexistence of the homeland.”

Defence Minister Fernando Cordero issued a brief statement clarifying the armed forces would “guarantee security in the electoral process.”

He emphatically rejected “false rumours” implicating the military in destabilisation attempts.