ECUADOR:Voters in Ecuador appear to have backed an attempt to redesign the country along socialist lines, giving fresh impetus to the surge of Latin America's "pink tide".
Exit polls showed president Rafael Correa's coalition heading for a majority in an assembly which is to write a new constitution. If confirmed, it would bolster his left-wing agenda and give Washington another Latin American headache.
Several projections predicted that his National Alliance slate would win more than 70 of the 130 seats, putting his supporters in the driving seat of a plan to transform one of the region's most politically volatile countries.
The charismatic economist-turned-president is a scathing critic of the Bush administration and an admirer of Venezuela's outspoken socialist leader, Hugo Chávez. He has promised not to renew the lease on a small US military base.
Summoning a constitutional assembly to enshrine radical change is a formula Mr Chávez pioneered in Venezuela and is now encouraging allies to emulate across South America.
The results may not be finalised for three weeks, but Quito-based pollsters agreed with a local citizens' group, Participacion Ciudadana, which estimated that Mr Correa's candidates had won most of the seats. The count was conducted at 6,129 of the state's 37,656 voting centres.
Mr Correa did not wait for official confirmation to declare victory. "We accept this triumph with great humility and total responsibility. We know we cannot fail," he said, citing projections of the count.
Current and former cabinet ministers lined up to echo his confidence, although opposition candidates said they would await completed results.
Mr Correa was elected in January after electrifying impoverished voters with promises of sweeping away power structures dominated by traditional elites.
He has raised the hopes of millions of Ecuadoreans, especially those with darker skin, that decades of neglect can be reversed.
He has also raised fears among the fragmented opposition that he will erode democracy and foster authoritarianism.
Mr Correa is expected to push for greater control over the central bank and to toughen Ecuador's bargaining stance with western creditors and investors.