Quito [Ecuador], April 14 : Ecuador President Daniel Noboa secured the win in the presidential election held on Sunday based on preliminary results, an electoral official said, as his main rival demanded a recount of the votes, CNN reported.
The 37-year-old leader has made fighting crime and economic revitalization two of his main goals. He also faces other challenges like violence by criminal groups and the energy crisis that has caused constant power outages in Ecuador.
As 90 per cent of the votes were counted, the trend in favour of Noboa is irreversible and is considered the winner, National Electoral Council president Diana Atamaint announced in a press conference on Sunday. However, Noboa's closest challenger, Luisa Gonzalez, rejected the results and called for a recount of votes. Addressing her supporters, Gonzalez said, "In the name of the people we represent, we do not recognize the results presented by the (National Electoral Council)."
Meanwhile, Noboa thanked the people who voted in his favour during a rally with his supporters in Olon. He said, "This day has been historic, this victory has also been historic, a victory by more than 10 points, a victory by more than a million votes where there is no doubt who the winner is."
The presidential election held on Sunday was the latest electoral contest between the two candidates. In the 2023 snap election to complete the term of the previous president, Noboa secured win against Gonzalez with just more than 50 per cent of the vote, CNN reported.
Noboa sought a four-year term to continue his war against gangs and drug traffickers, which has so far shown limited results. He has declared several states of emergency, deployed military units to tackle gang activity, and started construction on a new maximum-security prison after an infamous criminal leader fled from custody in 2024.
An unprecedented level of violence with more than 1,000 homicides were seen in Ecuador since the start of the year, according to figures from the Ecuador government. Data from organized crime research centre InSight Crime suggests Ecuador has the highest homicide rate in Latin America.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, people who cast their votes overwhelmingly said security was their main concern. One voter said, "Tranquility ... is the most important thing for the country because there is a lot of insecurity." Another voter said, "Security is in pieces", and expressed hope that the next president would keep their promise to tackle violence.
For removing the crime wave in Ecuador, Noboa has openly called for the help of foreign governments and companies, particularly from the US. Earlier in March, he announced a "strategic alliance" to fight organized crime with Erik Prince, the founder of the private defence contractor formerly known as Blackwater, CNN reported.
Noboa's government has been preparing to house US military forces in a new naval base on the Ecuadorian coast, CNN reported, citing documents. He even proposed lifting a ban on foreign military bases from the country that was established when Ecuador rewrote its constitution.
Gonzalez had proposed an alternative security model on the basis of what her party called "prevention, violence reduction, and coexistence." She proposed a return to high social spending to help the poorest people of Ecuador. She said her party represents transformation and hope while Noboa "represents fear." The leftist politician also expressed opposition to foreign intervention to tackle the crime crisis and has proposed recreating the Ecuadorean Ministry of Justice, which was dismantled in 2018.
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