Ecuador’s center-right President Daniel Noboa is likely to fall short of securing an outright majority in the country’s general election, according to preliminary results Sunday, setting the stage for a run-off vote against his nearest leftist rival.

Noboa says his deployment of the military on the streets and within prisons has reduced violent deaths by 15%, led to a drastic fall in prison violence, and helped in the capture of major gang leaders.

A presidential candidate in Ecuador must obtain 50% of the vote or achieve 40% with a 10-point lead over the nearest rival to win. Noboa will contest a runoff election on April 13 against Gonzalez, who took 44.1% of the votes, according to the country's electoral authority.

A lawyer with limited political experience, Luisa González is vying for Ecuador’s presidency for a second time.

Ecuadorian voters are preparing to cast their ballots for a new president for the second time in 18 months amid an unprecedented security crisis in the country.

Daniel Noboa and his main challenger Luisa Gonzalez received near identical percentages of the vote.

A run-off looked likely in Ecuador's presidential race late on Sunday, as leftist Luisa Gonzalez climbed nearer to incumbent Daniel Noboa in a half-finished vote tally. Noboa is leading the count with 45.