Ecuador's banana fortune heir Daniel Noboa has won the country's elections following a tight race as the region struggles with various issues, including crime and the economy.
Residents of the country weighed pledges to improve the economy and control a spiraling security situation when they went to vote for a president. Noboa's rival in the race was a leftist who could have become the nation's first female leader, Luisia Gonzalez.
Ecuador's Presidential Election
The top concerns among voters coming into the race largely focused on the country's economy, which has continued to struggle since the coronavirus pandemic. Another factor that they are worried about is rising crime, including the rise in the number of murders, robberies, and prison riots.
The violence across the country, which the outgoing government has blamed on drug gangs, has reached a peak during the campaign with the murder of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio. He was fatally shot while leaving a Quito campaign event in August, as per Aljazeera.
The 35-year-old banana fortune heir had a lead in recent polling but 45-year-old Gonalez, a former lawmaker, was able to win 34% of the vote in the first round. When she voted on Sunday in Canuto, she said that they were confident that the people of Ecuador would vote with memory and heart.
She said that she would work on bringing back the popular social spending that characterized former President Rafael Correa's decade in power if she won. She pledged free medicine, increased worker protections, and direct aid to people who need it.
Additionally, the former lawmaker promised to use $2.5 billion from international reserves to shore up the country's tattered economy. A Gonzalez voter, 43-year-old Erika Granja, said that the nation currently does not have social or economic stability, causing her to worry about the future of her children.
Daniel Noboa's Victory
But it was ultimately Noboa who edged out a win in the presidential runoff election on Sunday after securing 52.2% of the votes and Gonzalez only having 47.8%. The latter later conceded defeat during a speech before supporters and said that she plans to call the winner to congratulate him, according to the Associated Press.
The rising drug trafficking-related violence in the country has left residents wondering when, and not if, they will become victims. This uneasiness has led to people continuously being wary of their surroundings and even limiting how often they leave their homes.
noboa 's term will only run through May 2025, because that is only what remains of the tenure of President Guillermo Lasso. The latter cut his term short after dissolving the nation's National Assembly in May after lawmakers carried out impeachment proceedings against him over alleged improprieties in a contract by a state-owned company.
In a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Noboa said that the country has made history following the vote. He noted that Ecuadorian families chose the new Ecuador as well as a country with security and employment.
The business tycoon added that electoral promises would not simply remain in the campaign and argued that he would work on addressing corruption within politics, said The Guardian.
