Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa Wins Re-election Amid Turmoil

Ecuador's centre-right President Daniel Noboa has won re-election with about 56% of the vote, defeating left-wing challenger Luisa González. Noboa, who took office in November 2023, has focused on a military crackdown on violent gangs and aims to continue this "war" with a renewed mandate. His campaign emphasized job creation, infrastructure investment, and tackling corruption. González claimed fraud without providing evidence and called for a recount. Noboa's win is expected to further polarize Ecuador, with many of González's supporters nostalgic for the presidency of Rafael Correa, González's mentor. Noboa now faces pressure to prove his security plan is working and to address concerns around unemployment and unrest.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in seven provinces, including the capital Quito, ahead of a tight presidential election, citing a rise in drug-linked violence. The measure suspends certain civil liberties, imposes a curfew in some areas, and applies to prisons. The election pits Noboa against leftist opponent Luisa Gonzalez, with crime being a key issue. Noboa's "iron fist" policies have had mixed success in combating drug gangs, and a win by Gonzalez would signal a shift to the left and potentially cooler relations with the US.

The leader of an elite Mexican police unit known as the "Gringo Hunters" was killed in a shootout in Tijuana, Mexico, while attempting to arrest a suspect. Abigail Esparza Reyes, 33, was head of the unit in the northern border state of Baja California and had led the team for eight years, carrying out over 400 operations to arrest U.S. fugitives. The suspect, identified as Cesar Hernandez, was a convicted murderer who escaped from a California prison in December. Hernandez was on the run and managed to escape the scene of the shooting, and a manhunt is currently underway.

Daniel Noboa, the president of Ecuador, was re-elected in a runoff on Sunday, receiving about 55.8% of the vote, defeating Luisa González of the leftist Citizen Revolution Movement. Noboa, a right-wing politician and heir to a banana trade fortune, won despite being largely politically inexperienced, and his re-election comes amid national turmoil and a spike in crime in Ecuador. Over 13 million people were eligible to vote in the election, where voting is compulsory.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa won re-election with 55.85% of the vote, defeating leftist candidate Luisa González, who claimed the result was fraudulent and vowed to request a recount. Noboa's victory was seen as a test of his "war on drugs" policy, which has been marked by a surge in human rights violations and a continued high level of violence. The election was monitored by international observers, who reported a normal atmosphere, despite Noboa's last-minute declaration of a 60-day state of emergency, which was criticized by the opposition. Noboa will now serve a full term in office until 2029.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa won re-election with 55.65% of the vote, defeating leftist candidate Luisa González, who secured 44.35%. The election was seen as a test of Noboa's "war on drugs" policy, which has been marked by a surge in human rights violations and a return to previous levels of violence. Noboa's victory was unexpectedly decisive, with a margin of over 1.1m votes, and was recognized by international observers from the EU and OAS. González refused to accept the results, alleging "grotesque" fraud, but some influential members of her party acknowledged Noboa's victory.