President Rafael Correa of Ecuador swept to re-election on Sunday, Feb 17, in a vote that showed the broad popularity of his government’s social programs and support for the poor in a country to which he has brought stability after years of political and economic turmoil, The New York Times reports.

With about three-quarters of the ballots counted on Sunday evening, Correa received 56 percent of the votes cast. Guillermo Lasso, a banker, the closest of his seven opponents, had 23 percent.

Thousands of supporters in the main square in Quito, the capital, began celebrating shortly after voting finished at 5 pm, when television stations announced the result of exit polls showing Mr. Correa as the runaway winner.

“Many thanks for this immense trust,” Correa said from the balcony of the presidential palace. “We have never failed you, and we never will fail you.”

Correa told reporters that he would continue policies aimed at ending poverty and diminishing inequality, saying the challenge of the next four years “is go faster and deeper in the same direction.”

Correa won points from voters for bringing stability to Ecuador, a country that had seven presidents in the decade before he took office and was buffeted by severe economic problems. According to the new Constitution that was passed at his urging in 2008, Mr. Correa cannot run again when his new term ends in 2017.