Ecuador Makes History by Electing Youngest-Ever President, Daniel Noboa
Car horns resounded in celebration throughout Quito on Sunday as 35-year-old heir to a banana empire, Daniel Noboa, emerged victorious as Ecuador’s youngest president-elect, marking a significant milestone for the nation plagued by violence.
With 90 per cent of the votes counted, the electoral authority officially declared Daniel Noboa as the winner. Moments before this announcement, his socialist rival, Luisa Gonzalez, gracefully conceded defeat and offered her “profound congratulations” to Noboa, emphasizing the importance of democracy.
Speaking to her supporters in Quito, Gonzalez also assured that she would not allege any electoral fraud, acknowledging the integrity of the process.
Ecuadorians participated in a 10-hour voting period on Sunday without any reports of violence, a noteworthy occurrence in a country grappling with a bloody drug war and a series of political assassinations that prematurely ended the campaign of a popular candidate.
In a demonstration of heightened security, approximately 100,000 police and soldiers were deployed to ensure the safety of the election, with both Noboa and Gonzalez casting their votes while wearing bulletproof vests, just weeks after a rival candidate was tragically murdered.
Both candidates had promised to make addressing the surging violence a top priority in their future leadership. Indigenous voter Ramiro Duchitanga in Cuenca, located in Ecuador’s south, expressed his concerns, stating, “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, echoed the prevailing apprehension about crime as he said, “It is a critical election. I am voting in fear, not knowing what will happen.”
Recent polls indicate that the primary concerns of Ecuadorians revolve around the escalating crime and violence, with the murder rate quadrupling in the four years leading up to 2022.