Displaying items by tag: Luisa González

Ecuador’s presidential election is headed for a runoff on 13 April. With 80% of the votes counted in the first round, incumbent president Daniel Noboa has secured 44.4%, and opposition candidate Luisa Gonzalez  44.1%. Gonzalez, a protégé of former president Rafael Correa, saw a surge in support, surprising analysts: Noboa, a wealthy businessman who took office 14 months ago, had hoped to avoid a runoff by winning outright. His tenure has been marked by an aggressive crackdown on violent crime, deploying the military and declaring a state of emergency. Supporters praise his strong-handed approach, but human rights groups allege abuses. As Ecuador faces economic uncertainty and a growing security crisis, the nation remains divided.

Left-leaning Luisa González and centrist Daniel Noboa have faced each other in the last debate before the run-off election on 15 October. The debate gave both candidates a platform to address long-simmering issues in the country. The economy remains Ecuador’s Achilles heel: at the end of 2022, debt alone accounted for 57 percent of the GDP. The other major issue facing the candidates is crime. Ecuador, once one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America, is now on track to become the third-most violent country in the region. In August, that violence spilled over with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito. Since then, candidates have been wearing bullet-proof vests. Noboa is ahead in the polls, but many Ecuadorians have not yet made up their minds about who to vote for.