At the behest of Army General Commander Luis Castro, the Ecuadorian Army's Council of Generals issued a statement Feb. 20 that democracy should be upheld no matter who is determined to have won the presidency. Castro asked the head of the joint chiefs of staff, Cesar Merizalde, to consider the military's role in overseeing the electoral process in the country because of the possibility of conflict. With 93.4 percent of the votes counted, the ruling Alianza Pais coalition's candidate , Lenin Moreno, is close to winning office without a runoff. He currently has 39.18 percent of the vote. If he receives 40 percent and holds a 10-point margin of victory, he will be declared president. But if he falls short of that threshold, a runoff will be held, giving opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso a chance. That the election results are so close is making for a tense political situation.