Ecuador elects Noboa as president amid contested result

Daniel Noboa secured 55.8% of the votes in the second round of the presidential elections. The National Electoral Council declared his victory after counting over 93% of the votes. Noboa defeated his rival, Luisa Gonzalez, who received 44.1% support.

— A victory by more than 10 points, a victory by over a million votes, leaving no doubt about who the winner is, — stated Noboa, as reported by The Guardian.

Luisa Gonzalez, a member of parliament and lawyer, has announced that she will not recognise the election results. — I refuse to believe that a people would prefer lies instead of truth, violence instead of peace and unity. We are going to demand a recount and for them to open ballot boxes, — she told her supporters in Quito.

Daniel Noboa has declared that his government will be fairer and more transparent. During his campaign, he promised a firm fight against gangs and economic reform aimed at reducing the deficit. Noboa, a millionaire, was one of the few world leaders invited to the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Noboa approached Trump for assistance in combating the gangs that destabilise the country. To persuade the American leader, he offered the possibility of reopening American military bases in Ecuador. Between 1999 and 2009, American forces were stationed in Ecuador, including the airbase in Manta. This was closed after the adoption of the 2008 constitution, which banned foreign military bases in the country.

Luisa Gonzalez, described as the political heiress of former leftist President Rafael Correa, promised in her campaign to strengthen the state's influence on the economy and to combat "criminal neoliberalism" and "rabid right-wing." Her faction intends to request a recount of the votes.