Ecuador may hold a second round of the presidential election on April 13 if the trends in vote counting remain unchanged. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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According to preliminary results, incumbent President Daniel Noboa is ahead of his main rival, Luisa Gonzalez, by less than one percent.
This is the second confrontation between the candidates - they competed for the presidency back in 2023 after the early termination of the previous president's powers. Despite sociologists' predictions that Noboa would win the first round, he currently has 44.5% of the vote against 44.1% for Gonzalez, with almost 79% of the ballots processed.
Daniel Noboa, a 37-year-old businessman and heir to a large fortune, is betting on security measures. He argues that the deployment of the military on the streets and in prisons has reduced violent deaths by 15% and partially stabilized the situation in prisons, as well as dealt a blow to organized crime.
His opponent, 47-year-old Luisa González, a supporter of former President Rafael Correa, promises radical actions to fight crime. She plans large-scale security operations, a crackdown on corrupt judges and prosecutors, and strengthening social programs in the most dangerous areas of the country. She emphasizes that her victory symbolizes hope and change for the country, in contrast to Noboa's policies, which she believes are fearful.
At the same time, González and her supporters have expressed concern about the transparency of the election, accusing the electoral council of possible violations in favor of the incumbent president. Meanwhile, Noboa himself has not made any public statements about the election results or the current situation.