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Ecuador\u2019s president, who unexpectedly surged in the polls to secure a shortened term in 2023, was declared the victor of the presidential election with a decisive lead on Sunday in a race that showed voters\u2019 faith in his vows to tackle the security crisis with an iron fist.<\/p>\n
Daniel Noboa, 37, defeated Luisa Gonz\u00e1lez, 47, the handpicked successor of former President Rafael Correa.<\/p>\n
Both candidates accused the other of electoral violations throughout the election season, and Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez said she would not recognize the results of the election, in a speech from the headquarters of her party, Citizen Revolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be very clear and emphatic: The Citizen Revolution has always recognized a defeat in the last elections when polls, tracking and statistics have shown it,\u201d Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez said. \u201cToday, we do not recognize these results.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Mr. Noboa celebrated his victory from the coastal town of Ol\u00f3n.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis day has been historic,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no doubt who the winner is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The day before the election, Mr. Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven states, most of them Gonz\u00e1lez strongholds, raising fears that he was trying to suppress the vote among her supporters. The declaration restricts social activities and allows police and military to enter homes without permission.<\/p>\n
The president said the measure was in response to violence in certain parts of Ecuador. Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez described it as an attempt to curb political participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeclaring a state of emergency in the middle of an electoral process due to alleged serious internal unrest is very questionable,\u201d said Mauricio Alarc\u00f3n Salvador, the director of Transparency International\u2019s chapter in Ecuador, who added that the decision should be reviewed by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
But he said that any claims of electoral fraud \u201cmust be substantiated,\u201d something he saw as less likely given Mr. Noboa\u2019s large margin of victory. \u201cIt cannot and should not be simply an assertion thrown into the air.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Mr. Noboa has positioned himself as a law-and-order president but has so far achieved minimal results in tackling the nation\u2019s persistent drug violence and unemployment.<\/p>\n
In the past five years, Ecuador has experienced an explosion in violence linked to drug trafficking. A justice system plagued by overcrowding in jails, corruption<\/a> and underfunding has become fertile ground for prison gangs allied with powerful international drug cartels<\/a>.<\/p>\n This shift has turned the once-peaceful nation of 18 million into a significant player in the global drug trade, disrupting the lives of Ecuadoreans and altering the country\u2019s status in a volatile region.<\/p>\n At the same time, just 36 percent of Ecuadoreans<\/a> are adequately employed, according to government data, making the economy a top concern.<\/p>\n Mr. Noboa received 56 percent of the vote, compared with Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s 44 percent, with more than 97 percent of votes counted on Sunday evening, according to official figures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In a race that was expected to be tight, Mr. Noboa took a decisive lead early in the night. By 8 p.m., hundreds of his supporters were gathered outside of the national electoral council in Quito blowing horns, waving flags and holding the emblematic cardboard cutouts of his likeness.<\/p>\n At the nearby headquarters of Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s party, hundreds of supporters were shouting \u201crecount.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Noboa projected an image of himself on social media as the law-and-order candidate, but that posture wasn\u2019t reflected in reality, according to Caroline \u00c1vila, an Ecuadorean political analyst.<\/p>\n \u201cOn a day-to-day basis, you won\u2019t find people on the streets doing surveillance,\u201d she said. \u201cBut you will have a TikTok video reminding you of the last raid.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Noboa also sought to cast himself as Ecuador\u2019s best representative on the world stage, emphasizing his ability to build relationships with global leaders, including President Trump.<\/p>\n Mr. Noboa, a Harvard-educated heir to a multibillion-dollar banana empire, took office in 2023<\/a> after his predecessor called for early elections amid impeachment proceedings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He first entered politics just four years ago, when he ran for a seat in the national legislature. In the 2023 presidential contest, he managed to rise from the bottom of the polls to second place in the first round of voting after a strong debate performance. He then beat Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez in the runoff.<\/p>\n Ms. Gonz\u00e1lez, who served in various positions in the leftist Correa government, is largely seen as the representative of the former president, a divisive figure in Ecuador who led from 2007 to 2017. Many revere Mr. Correa for the booming economy, low crime rates and investment in health and education that Ecuador experienced under his government. But others condemn him for his corruption conviction in 2020<\/a> and his authoritarian tendencies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Junior Yazbek, 39, a car dealership owner, said he had voted for Mr. Noboa because he thought that foreign investment and trade would be higher under his leadership, which he thought were key to boosting Ecuador\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really need good allies, big people like the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Luis Cando and his wife, M\u00f3nica S\u00e1nchez, both 39, said they were planning to vote for Mr. Noboa in part because of the economy, which is worsened by the high crime levels.<\/p>\n \u201cTo have a small business, you can\u2019t open too late or too early, because the thieves are on the lookout,\u201d said Ms. S\u00e1nchez, carrying their infant on her chest.<\/p>\n She was drawn to Mr. Noboa\u2019s promises to combat crime and create job opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he delivers on that, too,\u201d she said. \u201cThat it\u2019s not just a proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Le\u00f3n Cabrera contributed reporting from Quito.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n