In a resounding celebration in Quito, car horns blared on Sunday as Daniel Noboa, the 35-year-old heir to a banana empire, achieved the historic feat of becoming Ecuador’s youngest president-elect amidst a backdrop of violence. With 90 percent of the votes counted, electoral authorities officially declared Noboa as the victor.
Moments before this announcement, Luisa Gonzalez, his socialist rival, gracefully conceded defeat, extending her “profound congratulations” to Noboa and emphasizing the significance of democracy. Addressing her supporters in Quito, Gonzales also firmly stated that she would not claim fraud.
In a country marred by a violent drug war and a spate of political assassinations, Ecuadorians cast their votes for 10 hours on Sunday without reports of violence. Notably, the bid of a popular candidate was cut short due to these tragic events.
The election witnessed a remarkable deployment of approximately 100,000 police and soldiers to ensure the safety of the vote. Both Noboa and Gonzalez cast their votes wearing bulletproof vests, reflecting the perilous environment just weeks after a rival candidate was murdered.
Both candidates had made commitments to address the escalating violence, recognizing the pressing need to restore order in a nation that has been deeply affected by insecurity.
Amidst this critical election, voters expressed their concerns. An Indigenous voter, Ramiro Duchitanga, shared, “May we elect the best president because (he or she) will govern a country that is destroyed… to address all these problems such as insecurity.”
Freddy Escobar, a popular 49-year-old singer, voiced his fear and uncertainty as he voted, with crime ranking as his primary concern.
Recent polls revealed that crime and violence are the top concerns among Ecuadorians, with the murder rate quadrupling in the four years leading up to 2022.
Ecuador, once known as a peaceful haven between cocaine-exporting countries Colombia and Peru, has experienced a surge in violence as rival gangs with connections to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control. This violence has resulted in horrifying incidents, such as the mass beheadings and burnings of inmates during prison riots.
The bloodshed has spilled into the streets, with gangs displaying headless corpses from city bridges and detonating car bombs outside police stations to showcase their power.
Tragically, in August, anti-graft and anti-cartel journalist and presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio lost his life in a hail of submachine-gun fire after a campaign speech. He had been polling in second place.
Following Villavicencio’s assassination, a state of emergency was declared, and both Noboa and Gonzalez campaigned and voted under heavy security details.
Noboa is set to serve only 16 months in office, completing the term of the incumbent Guillermo Lasso, who called a snap vote to avoid potential impeachment for alleged embezzlement. However, he has the possibility to run again for the 2025-29 presidential term and the one thereafter.
Both runoff candidates were relatively unknown figures in the political landscape. Noboa, the son of one of Ecuador’s wealthiest individuals, has five previous failed presidential bids to his name. Ecuador grapples with a poverty rate of 27 percent, with a quarter of the population unemployed or working in informal jobs.
Unemployment ranks as the second-most pressing concern among voters, and Noboa has promised “progress for everyone” with a focus on job creation.
Gonzalez, on the other hand, was the chosen candidate of the socialist ex-president Rafael Correa, who governed from 2007 to 2017 and currently resides in exile in Belgium to evade an eight-year prison sentence for graft—an issue of great concern in the country.
Out of eight candidates, Gonzalez secured the most votes in the first round in August with 34 percent, followed by Noboa with 23 percent. Analysts suggest that Noboa, with only 16 months in office and lacking an absolute majority in the legislature, will face significant challenges in pushing through reforms.
The election involved 13.4 million eligible voters in a nation of 16.9 million. In response to social media images showing potential irregularities, the head of the National Electoral Commission, Diana Atamaint, has promised an “immediate” investigation.