Ecuador presidential election heads to runoff

BOGOTA, Colombia

Ecuadorians cast their ballots on Sunday in a presidential election, with incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist candidate Luisa Gonzalez emerging as the top two candidates, forcing a second round of voting.

With 82% of the votes counted, Noboa secured 44.5% of the vote, although not enough to win the presidency outright.

A presidential candidate in Ecuador must obtain 50% of the vote or achieve 40% with a 10-point lead over the nearest rival to win. Noboa will contest a runoff election on April 13 against Gonzalez, who took 44.1% of the votes, according to the country's electoral authority.

Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza trailed in third place, having garnered 4.76% of votes.

The country's worsening security crisis has dominated the election campaign, with voters deeply concerned about escalating violence linked to cocaine trafficking.

Noboa, the 37-year-old son of a billionaire banana magnate, has staked his political future on a hardline approach to crime, declaring a state of emergency, deploying the military across the country, and building new maximum-security prisons.

Despite the country experiencing 14-hour daily blackouts and a diplomatic spat with Mexico during his presidency, Noboa remains remarkably popular.

Gonzalez, the 47-year-old protege of former President Rafael Correa, has pledged to provide human rights training for security forces, while also supporting tougher policing and militarization. She celebrated her advancement to the runoff.

"It is a great victory, we have won ... we are almost in a technical tie."

Noboa had previously defeated Gonzalez in an October 2023 runoff election, which followed the impeachment process against former President Guillermo Lasso.

Lasso had dissolved Congress to avoid impeachment hearings, prompting the Ecuadorian electoral authority to call for early elections, which Noboa ultimately won.

The winner of the upcoming presidential election is scheduled to take office in May.