With a conservative and an openly pro-life and pro-family profile, businessman Guillermo Lasso was elected as president of Ecuador last Sunday, April 11.

With 53% of the votes, in the second round Lasso defeated the socialist Andrés Arauz, economist and protégé of former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.

Lasso ran for presidency in 2013 as well, losing to Correa in the first round, and in 2017 when he contended with Lenín Moreno, who beat him by a narrow difference in votes.

In his electoral campaign, he openly expressed his stance to respect the right to life and family, against abortion, euthanasia, gender ideology and same sex marriage.

He supports the freedom of economic initiatives and is against various forms of statism. One of the axes of his proposal was the generation of opportunities for all, without distinction.

From 1998 to 2000 the businessman served as the Secretary of State for Economy of President Jamil Mahuad and as the governor of the coastal province of Guayas.

He comes from a middle-class family of 11 children. He stood out as a banker, he also assumed the presidency of Banco de Guayaquil – one of the two largest banks in the country – where he remains one of the two main shareholders.

Lasso is married to María de Lourdes Alcívar, and has five children and seven grandchildren.