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Daniel Noboa, 35, Becomes Ecuador’s Youngest-Ever President
Amid jubilant car horns echoing through the streets of Quito on Sunday, Daniel Noboa, the 35-year-old scion of a banana empire, secured his place as the youngest president-elect in violence-stricken Ecuador.
The electoral authority, with 90 per cent of votes counted, officially declared Noboa the winner.
In a show of democracy in action, socialist contender Luisa Gonzalez gracefully conceded defeat and extended her “profound congratulations” to Noboa.
Speaking to her supporters in Quito, Gonzalez assured that she would not be alleging fraud.
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Ecuadorians turned out to vote for a full 10 hours on Sunday, a remarkable achievement in a nation grappling with the throes of a bloody drug war and a spate of political assassinations that curtailed the campaign of a beloved candidate.
Over 100,000 police and soldiers were deployed to ensure the safety of the electoral process. Notably, both Noboa and Gonzalez cast their votes while donning bulletproof vests, a precaution taken in the aftermath of a recent political rival’s murder.
Both candidates had pledged to prioritize the pressing issue of escalating violence. “We must choose the best president because he or she will govern a nation in ruins, facing challenges such as insecurity,” expressed Indigenous voter Ramiro Duchitanga in Cuenca, situated in the southern region of Ecuador.
Echoing these concerns, popular 49-year-old singer Freddy Escobar emphasized his anxiety over the rampant crime: “I’m voting in fear, uncertain of what the future holds.”
Recent polls indicate that the primary concerns of Ecuadorians revolve around crime and violence, given the alarming quadrupling of the murder rate within the country over the last four years, up to 2022.
