Ecuador, Guayaquil (AP) – Ecuador’s April presidential election tests the lasting impact of a former leftist president Raphael Correa When his apprentice, lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, stands up against the conservative incumbent Daniel Novore.
It’s not either Novoa or Gonzalez Monday’s results show that they won a majority in the first round elections on Sunday, but both were well above the other 14 candidates and each within percentage points of each other.
The leak was repeated in the 2023 snap elections urged by the dissolution of the parliament, where Novoa won a 16-month presidency after wealthy businessmen campaigned to control Ecuador’s crime waves in recent years That’s what happens.
Gonzalez, like this year in 2023, is appealing to voter nostalgia in Correa’s 2007-2017 power, preceding the wave of drug trafficking crimes.
Many voters on Sunday chose whether they wanted to see a return to what is known as Correismo.
Supporters of the movement have long periods of low crime and unemployment, but also related to Correa’s authoritarian tendencies, the enormous debt he ran for, and corruption that was passed on to him in his absence in 2020. The sentence “.
Even among Noboa supporters, many have said their vote so far is Correismo’s rejection rather than overwhelming support for governance and governance with the president’s crime. Masu.
Last year, many Ecuadorians were angry. Novore allowed power blackouts for up to 14 hours, accused of serious drought, and was wary of military mobilization in the fight against drug traffickers.
Grace Jaramiro, an Andean Area expert and professor at the University of British Columbia, said the tight margin between the two candidates reflects “Noboa cannot cross the aisle, at least being vigilant about Koreimo’s return.” It’s doing it.
However, it also reflects “concerns about his inactive management of the late autumn energy crisis” and what critics see as abuse of power in the fight against drug dealers, She said.
Figures released by Ecuador’s National Election Council showed that 92.1% of the votes were counted, with Noboa receiving 4.22 million votes (44.31%) and González receiving 4.17 million votes (43.83%). The other 14 candidates in the race were far behind them.
Two months away
The candidates are currently running the campaign for the April 13th leaked election. This gives the winner a full four-year term.
Voting is required in Ecuador. Election officials reported that more than 83% of the approximately 13.7 million eligible voters will vote on Sunday.
Sunday marked the fourth consecutive time in which no candidate representing the Correa movement had not won the first round elections entirely. Noboa, 37, and González, 47, were clear frontrunners ahead of the election.
Gonzalez worked in various government jobs during Correa’s presidency. Like Novoa, she was a lawmaker from 2021 to May 2023. At the time, President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the Parliament, resulting in a shortening of his own duties.
Currently, both candidates will have to be mined for further support between parents and anti-farm voters.
Will Freeman, a Latin American relations fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, said Novore “may need to lean more towards anti-Coleizmo.” But it puts him in a bit of catch 22, as many of his initial appeals came from his youth and his ability to appeal to voters tired of polarization. ”
Freeman said the April contest would test whether Correismo could mobilize more voters with the spill than the first round elections he had previously failed.
“They have a loyal foundation, but it’s difficult to appeal to moderates and people who don’t feel strong attachment to Correismo or Anti Correismo,” he said.
Crime fight, governance, campaign
The surge in violence that Ecuador began experiencing four years ago was Cocaine trafficking It was produced in neighbouring Colombia and Peru and remains a major concern for voters.
Under Noboa, the homicide rate fell from 46.18 per 100,000 in 2023 to 38.76 per 100,000 last year. Still, it remains much higher than 6.85 per 100,000 people in 2019, with other crimes such as temptation and fear tor, which has led people to fear leaving their homes.
Additionally, some of Noboa’s pushy tactics over the past 15 months have been scrutinized both domestically and internationally to test the limitations of law and governance norms.
He essentially declared a state of war against drug gangs in January 2024, leading to military mobilization that critics say they had crossed boundaries. He has also been criticized for his decision to approve a police attack on a Mexican embassy. Arresting the former vice president Jorge Glassconvicted criminals and fugitives who lived there for months.
The blackout last year last week last week, causing the company to suffer a collective loss of $7.5 billion, according to industry groups. Novoa’s government denounced severe drought reductions, but did not provide any data to support its claim.
“He managed to market himself politically on social media, but he couldn’t go directly and persuasive with the Ecuadorians outside that bubble,” Jaramiro said. .
“Mr. Novore needs to reassure voters that he is a Democratic candidate in the second round and is ready to lead by example by supporting the rule of law.” added.
