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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ecuador re-elects President Daniel Noboa amid nationwide unease over crime
Daniel Noboa, the tough-on-crime firebrand president of Ecuador, was re-elected in Sunday's runoff. Noboa, running under the right-wing National Democratic Action party label, handily defeated Luisa González of the leftist Citizen Revolution Movement – the party of influential former President Rafael Correa. Ecuador's Presidential Election Goes To Runoff Between Conservative Incumbent, Leftist Lawyer According to the National Electoral Council, Noboa received about 55.8% of the vote to González's 44%. Exclusive Look Into Trump Repatriation Flight On C-17 Military Plane To Ecuador Over 90% of ballots have been tabulated, according to The Associated Press. Over 13 million people were eligible to vote – and in Ecuador, voting is compulsory. Read On The Fox News App A Miami-born heir to a large banana trade fortune, the largely politically-inexperienced Noboa emerged as the surprise winner of a 16-month presidency following a 2023 snap election to succeed former President Guillermo Lasso. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Ecuador re-elects President Daniel Noboa amid nationwide unease over crime
South China Morning Post
14-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Ecuador's president wins re-election as opponent demands recount
Ecuador 's national electoral council on Sunday declared President Daniel Noboa the winner of the country's presidential race, after he held a steady and unexpectedly wide 12-point lead over leftist Luisa González throughout the count. Advertisement González told chanting supporters she did not accept the results and would demand a recount, calling it 'the worst and most grotesque electoral fraud in the history of Ecuador'. With nearly 93 per cent of ballot boxes counted, Noboa had 55.8 per cent of votes, compared to González's 44.1 per cent, a difference of more than 1 million votes. The results were a sharp contrast to the February first round, where Noboa finished just 16,746 votes ahead of González. 'We inform the Ecuadorian people that with more than 90 per cent of the ballot boxes processed nationally there is an irreversible trend in the second round of voting,' Diana Atamaint, the head of the national electoral council said in a statement to the press. 'The winning duo is Daniel Noboa Azin and [vice president-elect] Maria Jose Pinto.' Luisa González, presidential candidate for Ecuador's Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana (Citizen Revolution Movement) party, speaks at her final campaign rally on Thursday. Photo: AFP González expressed disbelief over the results to chanting supporters in Quito.
Miami Herald
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Ecuador faces high-stakes presidential runoff between incumbent, leftist challenger
As Ecuador approaches a decisive presidential runoff election on April 13, the race between incumbent President Daniel Noboa and leftist candidate Luisa González is locked in a virtual dead heat. The election encapsulates a nation at a crossroads, with voters deeply divided over security concerns, economic instability and political governance. A central figure looming over the contest is former President Rafael Correa, head of González's political party, the Citizen Revolution Movement. Critics warn that a González victory could signal Correa's continued influence over Ecuadorian politics, with concerns he may exert control behind the scenes. Beyond party allegiances, the election underscores a profound ideological divide within Ecuadorian society. Right-leaning voters have coalesced around the Miami-born, Harvard-educated Noboa, while left-leaning supporters favor González and her promise of social and economic reform. 'In recent years, Ecuador has experienced deep political polarization, which has only intensified as we approach the election,' said political analyst Javier Guarnizo from Quito. 'This divide affects every aspect of national discourse, even as Ecuadorians seek solutions to pressing challenges like education, healthcare and national security.' With the nation facing rising crime rates and economic instability, the election is more than just a political battle — it's a referendum on Ecuador's future. Noboa's tough-on-crime policies and commitment to economic stability will be weighed against González's pledge for economic reform. Latest election polls show a statistical tie, meaning undecided voters hold the key to Ecuador's future. The 2025 presidential election marks a rematch following a fiercely contested first round in February. While Noboa ended up ahead, recent election surveys now place González slightly ahead, with 51% of voter support compared to Noboa's 49%. A crucial turning point came with the endorsement of third-place candidate Leonidas Iza, whose 538,000 supporters could sway the election in González's favor. With only days left before the election, both campaigns are intensifying their outreach to swing voters. Over 13.7 million Ecuadorians are registered to vote and must decide between re-electing Noboa for a full term, 2025-29, or return to so-called Correísmo, which would make González Ecuador's first female president. The key election issue Ecuadorians head to the polls against a backdrop of escalating gang violence, largely driven by drug trafficking and organized crime. National security remains the nation's foremost concern, with the crisis worsening despite Noboa's aggressive measures. In early 2024, Noboa declared an 'internal armed conflict' against criminal organizations, deploying the Ecuadorian military and proposing high-security prisons modeled after El Salvador's approach to crime. Despite the efforts, January 2025 became the most violent month in Ecuador's history. González also advocates a hardline stance on crime but criticizes Noboa's reliance on foreign military contractors. Instead, she proposes strengthening Ecuador's security forces and addressing crime's root causes through social programs targeting poverty and unemployment. Stability vs. reform Ecuador's struggling economy is another key battleground. Noboa's administration secured a $4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, implementing tax hikes and subsidy reductions to stabilize public finances—moves that, while aimed at long-term economic stability, have strained his approval ratings. González, aligning with Correa's economic policies, vows to renegotiate the IMF deal, lower taxes and expand social welfare programs. Her critics argue this could jeopardize Ecuador's financial standing, while her supporters see it as a necessary shift toward economic recovery. Regardless of who wins, governance challenges loom large. Ecuador's fractured National Assembly lacks a clear majority, with González's Citizen Revolution Party holding 67 seats and Noboa's National Democratic Action Party controlling 66 seats of the 151-member legislature. Both will need to negotiate with smaller political factions, making coalition-building crucial for passing legislation. Contrasting global strategies On the international stage, Noboa has taken a pragmatic but bold approach, exemplified by his controversial decision to send police into Mexico's embassy to arrest a fugitive politician, straining Ecuador-Mexico relations. González, aligned with Latin America's leftist bloc, has pledged to restore ties with Mexico and strengthen relationships with progressive leaders like Brazil's Lula da Silva and Colombia's Gustavo Petro. Critics warn this could mean a return to Correa's foreign policies, rekindling alliances with socialist-leaning governments. Former Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos, speaking at a Miami forum hosted by the Interamerican Institute for Democracy, voiced concerns that a González victory would effectively return Correa to power. 'Let's not deceive ourselves—Correa will be the one governing. She is merely a puppet,' Santos asserted. Institute Executive Director Carlos Sánchez Berzaín echoed this sentiment, warning that Ecuador could rejoin the 'Socialism of the 21st Century' movement, originally championed by Venezuela's Hugo Chávez. The defining issue Despite political and economic debates, the overwhelming concern for Ecuadorians remains security. The country has witnessed a dramatic surge in gang violence, particularly in cities like Guayaquil, Esmeraldas and Quito. Drug trafficking disputes, prison riots and organized crime have led to widespread chaos. Authorities have struggled to contain the escalating violence, with frequent attacks on police officers, government buildings and civilians. Rival gangs, many with ties to international drug cartels, have turned Ecuador into a key transit hub for cocaine shipments bound for the U.S. and Europe. In response, Noboa declared a state of emergency, deploying the military and enforcing curfews in high-risk areas. His administration has also classified major criminal organizations as terrorist groups, granting security forces expanded authority to combat them. However, the measures have yet to yield tangible results, with kidnappings, bombings and targeted assassinations continuing to destabilize the country. The crisis has severely affected Ecuador's economy, tourism and foreign investment, making security the defining issue of this election. As Ecuadorians cast their votes, they must decide whether Noboa's hardline approach or González's broader social strategy offers the best path forward.
Al Jazeera
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ecuador set for run-off in presidential election dominated by security
Hard-right incumbent President Daniel Noboa and left-wing challenger Luisa Gonzalez are set for a second-round run-off in Ecuador's presidential election, with preliminary results showing the pair neck and neck. The National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that with 80 percent of the ballots from Sunday's first-round vote tallied, Noboa had 44.4 percent. Gonzalez followed closely, securing a better-than-anticipated 44.1 percent. The 14 other candidates in the race, dominated by a teetering economy and drug-fuelled security crisis, trailed far behind. 'If the trend is maintained, Ecuadoreans will return to the ballot box on April 13,' CNE head Diana Atamaint said at a news conference. Surprise surge The performance of 47-year-old Gonzalez, a political protege of former President Rafael Correa from the left-wing Citizen Revolution Movement party, was a surprise, driven by a surge in support. She told elated supporters in Quito that the race was a 'statistical tie', adding that they had achieved a 'great victory'. 'We have won,' she declared. Pre-election surveys had predicted a stronger result for Noboa, the 37-year-old son of a billionaire banana magnate who assumed office 14 months ago to finish his predecessor's term. He had hoped to garner the 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a head-to-head contest. Still, the incumbent's supporters were jubilant on Sunday, lighting fireworks in Quito and Guayaquil, the country's two largest cities. 'We came to support the president, we want him to support us and change the country,' said 52-year-old secretary Myriam Medrano in Quito. Referendum The contest was widely viewed as a referendum on the country's stalled economy and Noboa's iron-fisted – or 'mano dura' – approach to crime in the face of soaring murder, kidnappings and extortion driven by drug cartels. Noboa has taken bold executive action to crack down on violent crime, including declaring a state of emergency and deploying the army to the streets. Human rights groups claim that the aggressive use of armed forces has led to abuse, including the murder of four boys whose charred bodies were recently found near an army base. On election day, Noboa deployed heavily armed soldiers to polling stations across the country and shuttered the borders with Colombia and Peru. Noboa has also been embroiled in a long-running spat with his vice president, most recently over whether and how he could take campaign leave. This week, the Constitutional Court ruled invalid two decrees that Noboa used to take campaign leave in the first round of the election. That is likely to complicate his ability to name an interim vice president and campaign ahead of the run-off.
