Ecuador leftist win gives Chavez momentum for vote

CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov 27 (Reuters) Rafael Correa's presidential victory in Ecuador capped a run of wins for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's leftist allies in Latin America and boosted Chavez's own campaign to be re-elected yesterday.

After Brazil's leftist leader won re-election in October, Chavez's vocal and financial support helped catapult Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega into office this month and his attacks on Correa's rival aided another socialist's win.

The successes came despite criticism that the intervention of Chavez and his anti-US stance in Mexican and Peruvian elections earlier this year sparked nationalist backlashes and torpedoed his allies' campaigns.

''Correa's victory is symbolically significant given Chavez's recent diplomatic misadventures with Mexico and Peru, and at the United Nations,'' said Patrick Esteruelas of the Eurasia Group consultancy, referring to Venezuela's failure to overcome US opposition to its Security Council seat bid.

The Correa win could reinforce the impression among Chavez supporters that the Venezuelan is a winner and bolster his prestige as a regional leader.

Chavez has formed a triumvirate of hard-line leaders opposed to Washington with Bolivian President Evo Morales and Cuban President Fidel Castro -- and political analysts see U.S.-educated economist Correa giving that axis more weight.

''I think he is a more credible and more educated messenger, but less passionate,'' said Alberto Ramos, an analyst with Goldman Sachs.

Most independent polls gives Chavez a comfortable lead before Venezuela's election, commanding huge popular support after spending bumper oil income on the low income majority in one of the world's top energy exporters.

After the negative reaction to him in Peru and Mexico, Chavez avoided wading into the Ecuador fight until Correa had finished second in the first round of voting.

Chavez then attacked banana magnate Alvaro Noboa for amassing his fortune on the back of child labor -- closely echoing accusations Correa used to mount his comeback win in yesterday's run-off vote.

Initial results today showed Correa leading by a better than two-to-one majority.

Correa softened his tone and distanced himself a little from Chavez in recent weeks. But earlier this year when Chavez called US President George W Bush the devil at a UN speech, Correa said Satan should be insulted by the comparison.

Correa worries Wall Street with vows to limit debt payments and opposes a US free trade pact, but is also seen as a leftist more like Brazil's pragmatic President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva than the revolutionary Chavez calls himself.

Reuters DH VP0227