President Daniel Noboa Reelected Amid Allegations of Electoral Fraud in Ecuador
- Victor Nwoko
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Ecuadorian voters on Sunday reelected President Daniel Noboa, granting the conservative millionaire a full four-year term amid widespread concern over crime and a politically polarized electorate. Noboa secured 55.8% of the vote, according to results from Ecuador’s National Electoral Council, with more than 90% of ballots counted. His opponent, leftist lawyer Luisa González, received 44%. Electoral Council President Diana Atamaint described the outcome as an “irreversible trend.”
The result extends Noboa’s presidency following his surprise win in the 2023 snap election, when he was elected to complete a shortened 16-month term. The victory also marks the third consecutive loss for the political movement of former President Rafael Correa, whose party has struggled to return to power.
González, however, refused to accept the results. She denounced what she called “grotesque” electoral fraud and claimed that pre-election polls showed her leading. “We do not recognize the results presented by the National Electoral Council,” she said.
Sunday’s vote followed a tight first-round contest in February, in which Noboa edged González by approximately 17,000 votes. Over 13 million Ecuadorians were eligible to vote, with voting mandatory for adults up to age 65. Those who failed to vote face a fine of $46. For those aged 16 to 17 and over 65, participation is optional.
Security was a dominant issue in the election. Since 2021, Ecuador has seen a dramatic rise in violence linked to cocaine trafficking from neighboring Colombia and Peru. Both candidates promised to combat drug cartels and local gangs with tough-on-crime policies and increased support for law enforcement.
“My vote is clear,” said Irene Valdez, a retiree. “I want to continue living in freedom.” Others, like college student Martín Constante, expressed concern over Noboa’s leadership style. “I think Luisa is going to change things, because Noboa has been very authoritarian,” said Constante.
Noboa, 37, is the heir to a banana empire and entered politics in 2023 as a first-time lawmaker. He founded an event planning company at age 18 before joining his family’s company, Noboa Corp., where he worked in shipping, logistics, and commerce. He declared Ecuador to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” in January 2024, granting the government broad powers to confront gangs, including deploying troops and prosecuting alleged cartel affiliates as terrorists.
Under his leadership, Ecuador’s homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 38.76 in 2024. However, the figure remains significantly higher than the 6.85 per 100,000 recorded in 2019. Noboa’s aggressive anti-crime tactics have raised concerns over potential overreach and constitutional violations.
González, 47, previously served in various roles under former President Correa and has drawn much of her support from Ecuadorians nostalgic for the lower crime and unemployment rates during his administration. Correa’s presidency, which lasted from 2007 to 2017, was marked by generous social spending and an increasingly authoritarian style. In 2020, he was convicted of corruption in absentia and remains outside the country.
Walking to a voting center in her hometown of Canuto in the coastal province of Manabí, González was greeted with chants of “Luisa is the people” from supporters. She accused her opponents of attempting to plant pre-marked ballots with her name and said her campaign would not accept the outcome.
Several arrests were made over election-day ballot anomalies. According to Atamaint, authorities detained individuals for double voting and others for possessing counterfeit or pre-marked ballots. Seventeen people were caught photographing their ballots, which was banned by the National Electoral Council to prevent voter coercion by criminal groups. The violation carries a potential fine of up to $32,000.
Observers from the Organization of American States and the European Union dismissed fraud claims following the February round. Still, Noboa himself alleged irregularities at the time, though he did not provide evidence.
Many voters expressed dissatisfaction with both candidates and used their vote as a means to reject one rather than endorse the other. Political analyst Oswaldo Landázuri noted that Ecuador remains polarized. “This could become a major problem for the country if one candidate does not recognize the other as the winner,” he said.
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