By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Quito : Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa celebrated his election to a third term as the country’s president, singing and dancing at a meeting with his supporters.
Appearing at a stage in central Quito, where thousands of his supporters had gathered Sunday, Correa sang his campaign song along with the crowd and danced.
Correa said he had dedicated his victory to his friend, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba. He wished “Commander Hugo Chavez” a speedy recovery, calling him “a great leader who had changed Venezuela”.
He had already received congratulations on the election victory from the governments of Cuba and Venezuela.
Correa enjoys an approval rating of nearly 85 percent, mostly due to his social and economic policies.
According to the National Electoral Council, Correa won 57 percent of the vote with almost 50 percent of ballots counted. His main election rival, former banker Guillermo Lasso, trails second with 24 percent and has already conceded that he had lost the polls.
A total of 11.6 million of eligible voters cast their ballot in Sunday’s vote.