Correa's socialist agenda at stake in Ecuador vote

Ecuadorans voted Sunday in general elections predicted to give leftist President Rafael Correa an easy victory, after only two years in office.

Surveys late Saturday predicted the economist would win 49 percent of Sunday's presidential vote, but it remained uncertain if his party would garner a majority in the congress, key for the pursuit of his socialist revolution.

Correa has taken a tough stance with investors and refused to repay foreign debt, in moves welcomed by supporters who blame the effects of the economic crisis on foreign liberalism.

Correa was prudent as he cast his ballot Sunday, however, after a triumphalist end to campaigning.

"I never take anything as given," said the 46-year-old socialist leader. "Everything is in the hands of God and the Ecuadoran people."

"It's in our hands: return to the past or continue change," added the ally of regional leftists, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Nationalist Luico Gutierrez, closest behind with a predicted 24 percent, on Sunday expressed doubts over the electoral process.

"The government wants to buy a million votes by distributing grain to farmers," Gutierrez said Sunday, accusing the government of campaigning past a midnight deadline.

Balloting began in the South American nation neighboring Peru and Colombia at 7:00 am (1200 GMT) and polls were expected to close at 5:00 pm (2200 GMT).

Correa had nearly two years left of his current term, but a new constitution approved last year lets him bid to start over again.

Correa has promised to pursue popular social programs funded by oil wealth in the OPEC nation where 38 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

But the challenge will be tougher this time as the economic crisis lowers the prices of oil, the country's main export, and remittances from immigrants abroad -- at least 10 percent of the population -- are also down.

The fight for the 124-seat congress was key on Sunday.

Opinion polls give Correa's ruling Alianza Pais party 60 seats, with the rest in the hands of opposition parties.

Under a split congress, Correa would have to form a tricky coalition with Gutierrez's Patriotic Society Party and the Institutional Renewal Party of National Action of right-wing millionaire Alvaro Noboa.

The opposition has already complained that Correa's "authoritarian" government has controlled the media during the election campaign.

The opposition accuses Correa's government of wasting state funds through bad management and making the impact of the crisis more severe.

If elected, Correa seeks to continue his socialist policies, despite foreign debt representing 19.7 percent of Ecuador's GDP of almost 10 billion dollars. The president declared a moratorium on one third of the debt last December.

"First (look after) our own, first social policies, and afterwards we can service the debt," Correa said Wednesday.

Since coming to power, Correa has created a state radio and television channel and a weekly program in which he speaks to the country, as well as several newspapers.

His reelection would give some stability to the world's top banana exporter that has seen three of its previous presidents -- between 1996 and 2006 -- ousted before the end of their terms.