Latest news with #LuisaGonzález
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ecuador's Noboa vows to tackle violence, boost economy and create jobs in second term
QUITO (AP) — Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa was officially sworn in on Saturday following his reelection for another four-year term early this year. Noboa, 37, who wore a presidential sash over his chest, was sworn in alongside his Vice President María José Pinto and their terms will run until May 2029. The young president, who has become known for his fight against a surge of armed group violence in the South American country, pledged in his inauguration speech to continue to tackle corruption, drug trafficking and violent crime. He also swore to implement reforms and said he would lay 'a solid foundation for job creation and investment" by working with Ecuador's private sector. 'We are at the doorstep of four years of progress,' he said. The ceremony in the capital, Quito, was attended by U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, and many other international guests and delegates. Noboa was first elected as president in November 2023 aged 35, with little political experience. He unexpectedly entered the race and was elected to complete the term of his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, who had dissolved the Assembly and stepped down to avoid impeachment. Noboa was re-elected on April 13 in a run-off against left-wing candidate Luisa González, who has made repeated allegations of electoral fraud. Her Citizen Revolution party, lead by former president Rafael Correa, boycotted Saturday's ceremony, even though González claims were rejected by Ecuador's electoral authority and both national and international observers. Violence and high unemployment levels remain the biggest challenges facing the president and his National Democratic Action (ADN) party, which also was able to hold the majority in the country's congress through a number of political alliances. Maintaining that majority will be crucial for Noboa in pushing through his agenda, including a crime-fighting bill marked as 'urgent' for its economic implications. The proposal has already drawn criticism from the opposition. Juan Francisco Camino, a professor at the Equinoctial Technological University, said Noboa's tight majority could easily shift the balance. 'Just one lost vote from his allies could paralyze his plans," Camino said in an interview. Asked whether Noboa might change his governing approach in this new term, Camino predicted continuity, especially with the government's focus on using state power to fight crime, which he said 'sells legitimacy.' Ecuador is one of the most dangerous countries in the region, with around 8,000 violent deaths by the end of 2024 and crime continuing to rise in 2025. Camino stressed that Noboa must 'look beyond security' and focus on rebuilding Ecuador's social fabric, especially in areas like jobs, healthcare, and education. Others said it was important to focus on root causes of violence, like lack of opportunities which often pushes young people to join criminal groups. Only 33% of Ecuadorians had full-time jobs as of late last year, with the rest working in the informal economy.
Associated Press
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Ecuador's Noboa vows to tackle violence, boost economy and create jobs in second term
QUITO (AP) — Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa was officially sworn in on Saturday following his reelection for another four-year term early this year. Noboa, 37, who wore a presidential sash over his chest, was sworn in alongside his Vice President María José Pinto and their terms will run until May 2029. The young president, who has become known for his fight against a surge of armed group violence in the South American country, pledged in his inauguration speech to continue to tackle corruption, drug trafficking and violent crime. He also swore to implement reforms and said he would lay 'a solid foundation for job creation and investment' by working with Ecuador's private sector. 'We are at the doorstep of four years of progress,' he said. The ceremony in the capital, Quito, was attended by U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, and many other international guests and delegates. Noboa was first elected as president in November 2023 aged 35, with little political experience. He unexpectedly entered the race and was elected to complete the term of his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, who had dissolved the Assembly and stepped down to avoid impeachment. Noboa was re-elected on April 13 in a run-off against left-wing candidate Luisa González, who has made repeated allegations of electoral fraud. Her Citizen Revolution party, lead by former president Rafael Correa, boycotted Saturday's ceremony, even though González claims were rejected by Ecuador's electoral authority and both national and international observers. Violence and high unemployment levels remain the biggest challenges facing the president and his National Democratic Action (ADN) party, which also was able to hold the majority in the country's congress through a number of political alliances. Maintaining that majority will be crucial for Noboa in pushing through his agenda, including a crime-fighting bill marked as 'urgent' for its economic implications. The proposal has already drawn criticism from the opposition. Juan Francisco Camino, a professor at the Equinoctial Technological University, said Noboa's tight majority could easily shift the balance. 'Just one lost vote from his allies could paralyze his plans,' Camino said in an interview. Asked whether Noboa might change his governing approach in this new term, Camino predicted continuity, especially with the government's focus on using state power to fight crime, which he said 'sells legitimacy.' Ecuador is one of the most dangerous countries in the region, with around 8,000 violent deaths by the end of 2024 and crime continuing to rise in 2025. Camino stressed that Noboa must 'look beyond security' and focus on rebuilding Ecuador's social fabric, especially in areas like jobs, healthcare, and education. Others said it was important to focus on root causes of violence, like lack of opportunities which often pushes young people to join criminal groups. Only 33% of Ecuadorians had full-time jobs as of late last year, with the rest working in the informal economy.
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.
Washington Post
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Ecuador's incumbent president and a leftist lawyer again vie for the top job in a runoff election
QUITO, Ecuador — A conservative young millionaire who is Ecuador 's incumbent president and a leftist lawyer are again the choices as Ecuadorians head to the polls on Sunday in the country's second presidential runoff election in less than two years. President Daniel Noboa and leftist challenger Luisa González have promised voters solutions to the extortions, killings, kidnappings and other crimes that became part of everyday life as Ecuador emerged from the pandemic.
New York Times
12-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Dead Heat as Ecuadoreans Look for Leader to Lift Them Out of Crisis
The city of Machala is dotted with posters of Ecuador's two presidential candidates, their smiling faces looking out over shuttered businesses and streets that empty out after 6 p.m. because of rival gangs that torment the city. Machala, a port city south of Guayaquil, is a microcosm of the challenges facing the South American country — including chronic unemployment and a security crisis driven by a surge in drug violence — that many voters say are their biggest concerns ahead of the runoff election on Sunday. The election pits the incumbent, President Daniel Noboa, the heir to a billionaire banana magnate who rose from political obscurity to win a truncated term after the previous president faced impeachment, against Luisa González, the handpicked successor of a populist titan of Ecuadorean politics. Mr. Noboa has positioned himself as the tough-on-crime candidate, and as the politician best prepared to lead Ecuador on the global stage and negotiate with world leaders like President Trump. Ms. González has been defined by her association with a former Ecuadorean president, Rafael Correa, who remains revered by many in the country eight years after he left office despite scandals and controversy. His presidency saw a booming economy, low crime rates and investment in health and education. But he was also convicted on corruption charges and accused of having authoritarian tendencies. Mr. Noboa narrowly edged out Ms. González in the first round, in February, but did not surpass 50 percent of the vote to avoid a second round. Polls show Sunday's election as a dead heat. And nowhere is that split more evident than in Machala, the capital of El Oro, one of Ecuador's most dangerous states. The port city of roughly 288,000 is one of the world's largest shipment points for bananas — it is sometimes called 'the banana capital of the world.' But what was once also a bustling tourist destination and gastronomic hub has become largely a ghost town. Two rival gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, are fighting for control of the local drug trade, killing residents in broad daylight, setting off bombs in the streets and extorting shopkeepers and politicians. Mr. Noboa has been criticized for his hard-line stance on the country's gang violence, which some civil rights groups say is an overreach of presidential authority and an infringement on human rights. But in Machala, both supporters and opponents of the president say they would like to see more action from law enforcement, not less. Across the city, days before an election in a country where a presidential candidate was assassinated two years ago, not a single police officer or soldier was seen patrolling the streets. Erika González, 36, was standing in her front door when a parade organized by supporters of Luisa González marched down the street. A volunteer handed her a calendar with the candidate's face on it. She took it out of politeness, she said, but planned to vote for Mr. Noboa. Her 17-year-old nephew, Carlos Choez, was shot and killed last year, she said, as he was leaving school because he had resisted recruitment by a criminal gang. She said she believed Mr. Noboa could stem the violence. 'I have faith that if we give him the time he needs, he will be able to control that,' she said. She also thinks Ecuador needs help from the United States to take on drug gangs, something that is more likely to happen under Mr. Noboa, she said. During Mr. Correa's tenure, Ecuador had an antagonistic relationship with the United States, and experts say his expulsion of American forces from the country hampered Ecuador's ability to control its borders and eased the way for transnational criminal groups move drugs through and out of the country. But Ecuador's homicide rate actually dropped under his government because of increased policing and a commodities boom that yielded more money for law enforcement. Since Mr. Noboa took office in November 2023, the homicide rate dropped early in his tenure, but then started rising. At Ms. González's campaign headquarters in Machala, a poster depicts her face next to Mr. Correa's with the slogan, 'The resurgence of the homeland.' 'Correismo' runs deep in Machala, and for many, it is deeply personal. Many remember the Correa administration's investment in health infrastructure, and say the upgrades to one of the city's main hospitals were life changing. Silvia Endara, 42, said she went to the hospital in 2012 to have a brain cyst that was causing seizures removed, and doctors told her she was five weeks pregnant. Renovations meant the hospital was not yet permitted to perform surgeries, but she said doctors got permission from the Correa government to proceed with the operation anyway. Doctors removed the cyst, but warned that the procedure and its side effects could lead to her baby being born with health problems. But she gave birth to a healthy daughter, Gema, who is now 12. 'I will always give thanks for my life and my daughter's life to that man, Rafael Correa,' she said. Even within the banana industry, where the Noboa family made its name, workers are divided over who they support. Mr. Trump's universal 10 percent tariffs for many countries are bound to affect Ecuador, which is one of the top banana exporters to the United States. But Noboa supporters point out that Mr. Noboa has a relatively warm relationship with Mr. Trump that could help the country. The president was one of the few Latin American leaders invited to Mr. Trump's inauguration, and the two had a meeting last month at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump's private club in Palm Beach, Fla. Mr. Noboa's re-election could lead to 'a more friendly position' between the two countries, said Shirley Morocho, 30, who works in quality control for a private company, visiting banana farms across the region. While Ms. González has tried to strike a friendlier tone toward the United States during her campaign, many critics are skeptical. 'Luisa is practically Correa's shadow,' Ms. Morocho said, 'so I don't think they are going to have a very good relationship.' Jonathan Chacha, 35, a councilman in the nearby town of El Guabo and a supporter of Ms. González, said his district, dominated by the banana industry, will be heavily affected by tariffs. Still, he sees Ms. González as the better choice. Mr. Noboa and Mr. Trump's relationship is mostly for show, he said, and has yet to produce any tangible benefits. Mr. Chacha said Ms. González was better positioned to build on the good relationship that Mr. Correa had with China, which brought significant projects to the country. 'They are the biggest exporters of development in the whole world,' he said. Days before the election, Carlos Banchón, 56, a boat operator, remained torn. He has been a longtime supporter of Mr. Correa's party, but was considering switching his allegiance to Mr. Noboa. He prefers the president's stance on crime. The violence has scared away visitors to the region, hurting his business ferrying tourists between Puerto Bolívar, a port community outside Machala, and the beachside retreat of Jambeli. But he feels a commitment to Mr. Correa's party because of the renovated hospital, where he said his wife received lifesaving care after she fell and went into early labor. 'I can't choose one or the other,' he said. 'It's very complicated.'
