Between the undercurrent of panic about the possibility of a fatal incident and the indifference of a large part of the citizens who are more interested in the South American qualifying match between the South American national team and Bolivia, the election campaign came to an end in Ecuador this Thursday. 35-year-old businessman Daniel Noboa and runner Luisa González made their final effort to secure victory. The murder of centrist candidate Fernando Villavicencio before the first round not only caused widespread shock in the country, but also He broke the rules of electoral competition. Democratic Alliance member Noboa’s latest activities were held in Santa Elena, 72 kilometers from Guayaquil. González did so in the coastal city plagued by drug trafficking activity. “We are here to give back to Ecuador that beautiful, honorable homeland covered in colors, a homeland protected by a single flag,” he said. The two candidates traveled under extraordinary security measures. Both candidates they wear bulletproof vests and they acted with the support of a strong police and military contingent. Uniformed men with long guns were watching them closely.
González, 45, won the first round with 34 percent of the votes on behalf of the Citizen Revolution. It’s a significant figure, but in the eyes of analysts it’s not enough to make it safely to Sunday’s election. Anti-correction nestled in part of Ecuadorian society He may outweigh his opponent’s inexperience and his status as the son of businessman and eternal election loser Álvaro Noboa.
Surveys
At least that’s what recent polls suggest. According to consultancy Comunicaliza, 41.5% of potential voters lean towards the centre-right candidate, compared to 36.4% for González. 12.4% of those interviewed were undecided and almost 10% would cast a blank vote or cancel the vote. In terms of Business and Strategies, Noboa is one point above the Citizen Revolution candidate. Telcodata, on the other hand, predicted that there would be a technical tie between both competitors.
HE indigenous movementThe party, which has strong domestic roots and significant mobilization capacity, was excluded from this election process. President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (Conaie), Leonidas IzaHe called for “confronting the right wing that is destroying the country and benefiting from drug trafficking.” But he avoided explicitly pointing the finger at González. But he hinted that the candidates did not represent the same thing and that there was confusion within Conaie. “There are brothers They hate correismo and now it turns out they went with Daniel Noboa. They don’t care about the country being torn apart by privatizations, all they have is their hatred of Correism, which does not allow for an objective debate.” The vote of indigenous peoples could tip the balance to one side or the other.
limited time
Approximately 17 million citizens are eligible to elect the president. Not only will Ecuadorians choose the next president, but elections abroad will also be repeated for national legislators, with the decision of the National Electoral Council (CNE) declaring the elections canceled due to problems with telematic voting. This wasn’t the only abnormality. In fact, the elections were called by President Guillermo Lasso, calling for a kind of forward flight. To avoid impeachment by Congress, he dissolved parliamentary activities and called for new elections so that the winner could complete his term. Citizens will have to go to the polls again in 2025.
But two years is an eternity A country exposed to violence like never before. Ecuador recorded a murder rate of 25.9 per 100,000 people; this is one of the highest rates in Latin America. Crime increased by 69.13% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period of the previous year.
Hours before the campaign closed, he was soaked in blood. Prominent influencer “Polilla” Sánchez was killed in the city of Esmeraldas, about 50 kilometers from Quito. It was reported that gunshots were also heard at the house near the beach of Mariana Mendieta, the former mayor of the city of Durán, who was recently kidnapped. Television also reported that a drug trafficker was burned. Two people lost their lives in an armed attack in the town of Manta, where criminal activities are intense. The leader of the Mafia-18 gang, drug trafficker George Samir Maestre Mena, also known as Samir, was shot dead in an urbanization. News of this caliber has become commonplace.
Noboa and González claim they have the formula to beat back the gangs: Allied with Mexican cartelsIt changed the lives of Ecuadorians. In a way, they are equal; Neither generated excitement. “Two cardboard candidates are running for president“said columnist Irene Torres of El Universo newspaper. “Noboa goes to nightclubs where prank enthusiasts on the TikTok social network take him. Luisa wears her aerobics trainer outfit to exercise outdoors. “They both wonder how they were persuaded to run for President with so little charisma, so little speech, and so little stage presence.”