Quito, April 6 (RHC)-- The head of Ecuador’s National Electoral Council said exit polls were “moral fraud” used to incite current climate of anger, while ignoring official results.  The results of an exit poll cannot be used to ignore the results of official bodies, according to Juan Pablo Pozo, the president of Ecuador’s National Electoral Council. 

"There was a moral fraud because of so many lies and infamies invented around the electoral process in Ecuador," Pozo said, referring to exit polls circulated even before polls closed, as well as rumors circulated on social media.  He further warned against using the results of exit polls to discredit his council’s official results and said that any complaints and challenges should presented through the proper institutions in order to avoid the current climate of distrust and anger that is based on allegations that lack evidence. 

"The official examination of the more than 40,000 records says that the PAIS Alliance ticket of (Lenin) Moreno (and Jorge Glas), obtained 51.16 percent,” he said affirming the victory of Leftist candidate Moreno and the loss of right-wing candidate and banker Guillermo Lasso. 

He emphasized that his board’s official results were also approved by all the electoral missions that observed the elections including the one from the Organization of American States, the OAS. 

Pozo said the election system in Ecuador “is one of the few electoral systems that have the minutes scanned on its website" so that any political party or movement can print the records and submit it to the council for challenges.  "We have lived a brilliant page of the history of democracy in Ecuador. It has been an impeccable process," said Pozo, adding: "Part of democracy and politics is tolerance, we must be good winners and good losers." 

Nonetheless, the top official said the electoral body would review the allegations by Lasso - who has refused to accept the results and alleged fraud - once they are submitted. 

The president of the top electoral body said 23 of the 24 provinces of Ecuador have been examined and results in them finalized, and that his body has received 24 administrative complaints during the whole process.