Ecuador will not have a woman leading the country for the first time, but it will have the youngest president of the Americas. The centrist Daniel Noboa, 35 years old, has unmitigatedly defeated Luisa González, standard bearer of the Citizen Revolution of the former president Rafael Correa, the main political loser of the electoral struggle.
With more than 90% of the votes counted, the candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (ADN) has 52.29% of electoral support, compared to 47.71% for González. A triumph that no one imagined when Noboa had barely 2% support in the polls 10 days before the first electoral round in August.
The assassination of the anti-corruption journalist Fernando Villavicencio and his intelligent performance in the first presidential debate, which he attended protected by a bulletproof vest, attracted the attention of Ecuadorians, who elected him to challenge Correism in the second round. A campaign full of ups and downs and without major errors, in which it attracted a good part of the candidates that participated in the runoff, led it to grow by 30%, a political milestone.
“Congratulations to the new president! I sincerely wish him great success in his mandate. It is urgent for Ecuadorians that his administration be truly successful. The responsibility he receives is immense and the challenge is even greater,” certified the former candidate and former vice president. Otto Sonnenholzner, whose voters opted for Noboa in the runoff.
“Today we close the campaign stage and tomorrow we begin to work for a country that has been hit by corruption, violence and hatred,” Noboa highlighted in a brief speech to the country. His rival, Luis González, offered an open hand to reach agreements in Parliament “because Ecuador needs to be united.”