Daniel Noboa, 35, an inexperienced politician and heir to a banana fortune has won Ecuador’s presidential runoff election on Sunday amid unprecedented violence that cost the life of a contender.
Electoral officials said that Noboa received 52.1% of the vote, compared to 47.9% for Luisa González, a Marxist lawyer and ally of exiled former President Rafael Correa. González acknowledged defeat during a speech to supporters, urging Noboa to keep his campaign pledges.
Noboa, 35, will govern the South American country at a time when drug-related violence has left Ecuadorians wondering when, rather than if, they will become victims. Their anxiety has caused them to constantly watch their backs and limit the number of times they leave the house.
Following the announcement of his victory, Noboa praised Ecuadorians for their support of “a new political project, a young political project, an improbable political project.”
He said his goal is “to return peace to the country, to give education to the youth again, to be able to provide employment to the many people who are looking for it.” To that end, Noboa said, he will immediately begin to work to “rebuild a country that has been seriously hit by violence, corruption, and hatred.”
Credit: AFP