{"id":22865,"date":"2025-02-10T16:03:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T16:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/ecuador-election-ends-in-a-tie-prompting-run-off-in-april\/"},"modified":"2025-02-10T16:03:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T16:03:32","slug":"ecuador-election-ends-in-a-tie-prompting-run-off-in-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/ecuador-election-ends-in-a-tie-prompting-run-off-in-april\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador election ends in a ‘tie’ prompting run-off in April"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Ione Wells<\/span><\/p>\n

South America correspondent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"ReutersReuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Daniel Noboa and Luisa Gonz\u00e1lez will face off in the second round in April<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Ecuador’s presidential election will go to a second round after a closely contested first-round result failed to produce an outright winner.<\/p>\n

The electoral authorities called it a “technical tie” after the incumbent centre-right candidate, Daniel Noboa, and his main left-wing challenger Luisa Gonz\u00e1lez received nearly identical percentages of the vote.<\/p>\n

The pair will now face a run-off in April. <\/p>\n

The result is far narrower than opinion polls had predicted, indicating the second round could be harder to call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The narrow result also dashed the hopes of Noboa’s supporters, who had been buoyed by an early exit poll suggesting he might clinch victory outright.<\/p>\n

The president’s supporters gathered in Quito, waving flags, donning T-shirts with his image and holding life-size cardboard cut-outs of the incumbent president.<\/p>\n

These cut-outs, depicting Noboa in various outfits \u2013 from suits to tank tops and sunglasses \u2013 have become ubiquitous symbols across the country decorating front doors, apartment windows, and even car rooftops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Ecuadorean<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Issues including security and energy were both high on the agenda going into the election<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Noboa’s presidency has been defined by his focus on tackling severe gang violence. <\/p>\n

He implemented emergency measures to deploy the military to streets and prisons to curb rising crime.<\/p>\n

Many of his supporters hope he will secure a mandate in the run-off to continue his security policies.<\/p>\n

“He’s helped us a lot, from when there was gang violence so bad that we couldn’t even go out,” said Fernanda Iza.<\/p>\n

The 45-year-old added: “The support of the military he’s introduced \u2013 their presence is already helping. <\/p>\n

“He has brought us a certain stability. There are many problems still pending, but I hope he continues with his plan.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Fernanda<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Fernanda Iza (left) believes Daniel Noboa’s measures to tackle violent crime in Ecuador are working<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Juan Diego Escobar, 16, expressed optimism about Noboa’s chances.<\/p>\n

“I think the majority of people who voted for other candidates will prefer to vote for Daniel Noboa in the second round,” he said. <\/p>\n

“Noboa handles insecurity well. Crime is fairly well controlled. I think he will also improve the economy.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Miriam Naranjo said despite being the incumbent, Noboa represented “change”.<\/p>\n

She added: “We need the work that he has been doing so far to continue. It’s only been a short time. We were expecting a bigger margin, so we have to work to keep that support for our candidate.”<\/p>\n

Despite some successes, such as the capture of some major gang leaders and a slight reduction in prison violence, violent crime remains a major issue.<\/p>\n

Violent deaths fell in 2024 but stayed near record levels. In January 2025 alone 750 homicides were reported.<\/p>\n

Gonz\u00e1lez \u2013 a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of former president Rafael Correa \u2013 has criticised Noboa for failing to deliver on key promises, such as boosting the economy, cutting fuel prices, and addressing violent crime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While she has proposed similar military and police operations to combat crime, her campaign has emphasised increased social spending in Ecuador’s most violent regions.<\/p>\n

Noboa’s critics also accused him of a slow response to a severe drought that led to prolonged power cuts last year.<\/p>\n

The incumbent also sparked controversy during the campaign by refusing to delegate his presidential duties to Vice-President Ver\u00f3nica Abad, citing an electoral law loophole. <\/p>\n

This decision became part of a public spat between the two.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"GettyGetty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Some 14 million Ecuadorians voted this Sunday to elect the next president<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Luisa Gonz\u00e1lez’s supporters see her as a chance for change.<\/p>\n

Gonzalo Cajas, 46, said: “Why is there crime? There is poverty. There is hunger. So there should be someone who is really aware of Ecuadorean workers so that the country moves forward.”<\/p>\n

Alejandra Tufi\u00f1o, 42, added: “The country’s security is in pieces. I want change. I’m not saying that she’s going to solve it \u2013 but let’s see what happens if we give her a chance.”<\/p>\n

Some voters remain disillusioned with both candidates. <\/p>\n

Gabriela Cajo, 39, who backed a candidate from the party of assassinated 2023 presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio<\/a>, expressed frustration with the lack of progress on crime.<\/p>\n

“Daniel Noboa represents fear, and we represent hope, change. We do not want a state of war, we want peace,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I think we are all annoyed with the electoral processes in the country, and the last thing we want is a second round and more expenditure of resources. <\/p>\n

“There will be tremendous polarisation. There will be a lot of opposition to whoever wins. Once again, we will have to choose who is the least worst.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Ecuadorian<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Gabriela Cajo believes more can be done to tackle the high levels of violent crime in Ecuador<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Whoever is victorious in April will face significant challenges.<\/p>\n

Ecuador continues to grapple with rampant crime, as drug cartels battle for control of lucrative trafficking routes through its ports. Kidnappings and murders remain daily occurrences.<\/p>\n

The country is also struggling with high unemployment, a weak economy, and an energy crisis that caused blackouts of up to 14 hours last year.<\/p>\n

Noboa has pledged to address these issues by creating jobs, attracting investment, and increasing renewable energy production. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Gonz\u00e1lez has emphasised the need for economic reform, social investment, and a stronger focus on tackling poverty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ione Wells South America correspondent Reuters Daniel Noboa and Luisa Gonz\u00e1lez will face off in the second round in April Ecuador’s presidential election will go to a second round after a closely contested first-round result failed to produce an outright winner. The electoral authorities called it a “technical tie” after the incumbent centre-right candidate, Daniel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22865"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22867,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22865\/revisions\/22867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}