Election’s first exit poll predictions will come after 5, with actual vote counts by 8

Under the rules of Ecuador’s National Electoral Council (CNE), 11 polling organizations can begin releasing exit poll election predictions after voting concludes at 5 p.m. today. CNE estimates that the first returns of actual votes will come in about 8 p.m.

Ballots were delivered to polling stations on Saturday.

It is expected that poll results for the presidential race will be available first, since there are only eight candiates. Results for the National Assembly races will come later.

Results of a referendum that would ban public office holders from having foreign bank accounts will be released on Tuesday

In previous elections, exit polls have proven largely reliable, according to the CNE. This is in sharp contrast with pre-election polling data. In the current campaign, the final polls of the various polling organization show enormous variance, with one reporting that leading presidential candidate Lenin Moreno has 43% voter support while another gives him at 26%.

Polls across Ecuador are open today from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Election observers from the Organization of American States will be stationed at the polls to ensure that rules are followed.

An official with the Cuenca CNE office predicts that about 4,000 legal foreign residents will vote in today’s election, including several hundred U.S. and Canadian citizens.