Businessman Daniel Noboa has become the youngest-ever head of state as he wins Ecuador’s presidential runoff election. The winner, Daniel Noboa, beat Luisa González by an impressive 1.1 million vote margin. Noboa won on 51.83% of the vote, defeating González’s 48.17%. Despite a highly publicized campaign leading up to the ballot, where opinion polls had suggested a near tie between the two candidates, this result far outpaced what was expected.
According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), the margin –opposition coalition’s CNE registered the margin of victory as “an irreversible trend,” thereby acknowledging Noboa’s victory. The outcome is a stark reversal from the first round of voting back in February. At that time, Noboa defeated González in the second round by a narrow 16,746 vote margin, which represents 0.17%.
Voting in Ecuador is mandatory, and the first round of the recent election witnessed an extraordinary 83.76% turnout of registered voters. International observers from the European Union and Organization of American States were on hand to watch the election process. Official reports from these observers have so far been slow to come.
In April of the same year, Noboa declared an internal armed conflict against drug trafficking gangs. This step in the other direction has profoundly defined his presidency. His administration has been marked by that fight all around. In rhetorical opposition, he signed an anti-haul decree declaring a 60-day state of emergency that, among other things, suspends the right to freedom of assembly and authorizes warrantless searches. Both are classic moves in Moreno’s playbook.
Despite Noboa’s decisive victory, his opponent Luisa González has raised concerns about the election’s legitimacy. She boldly proclaimed, “This is a dictatorship!” She further charged, “This is the greatest electoral fraud that we, the Ecuadorians, are experiencing.”
Noboa categorically rejected these accusations. He continued, “I think that it’s sad for her to keep trying to contest the will of the Ecuadorian people, and even more so with an 11- or 12-point margin.” The Ecuadorians have spoken, now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work beginning on Monday. He focused on the unambiguity of his win. “I was victorious by more than 10 points and more than a million votes,” he proclaimed, to thunderous applause, leaving no doubt that he—the victor—deserves to be crowned as such.
González plans to contest the results. She will be filing for a recount and filing for opening all of the ballot boxes. This latest development will surely delay debate of the intense presidential election results.
The significant margin by which Noboa won is likely to shape his style of governance in the months ahead. Under his administration, drug traffickers have become public enemies. His priorities remain to do what’s necessary to heal the deep divides and challenges facing Ecuador.