Correa poised to win new term as Ecuador president

Ecuador\'s election campaign kicked off on Friday with rallies for all eight presidential candidates -- with incumbent Rafael Correa far ahead in polls ahead of the February 17 vote. Some 11.5 million Ecuadorians are eligible to vote next month to choose a president, vice president, lawmakers and regional officials for new four-year terms. Right-wing banker Guillermo Lasso is emerging as the main rival to Correa, who has been in power since 2007. Also contesting the top post are former president Lucio Gutierrez, who was overthrown in 2005 after two years in power, billionaire Alvaro Noboa, making his fifth run for the presidency, as well as two former Correa allies, Alberto Acosta and Norman Wray. The leftist Correa is a strong favorite to win in a single round, racking up 60 percent of potential voters in the latest polls. Lasso trails far behind in second place with 11 percent. The head of state, re-elected in 2009 in the first round of early elections called after a new constitution was passed, met hundreds of supporters in the capital before setting off for the coastal town of Portoviejo. Parliament has given Correa a 30-day break to campaign, while Vice President Lenin Moreno takes over his official duties.