Ecuador decides his future in the midst of violence and economic crisis

The polls were officially opened on Sunday morning (9) for the Ecuador presidential election. About 14 million voters must attend to choose the new representative of the country and the 151 national assembly parliamentarians for the period 2025 to 2029, in a claim marked by high polarization and an unprecedented security crisis.

The current president, Daniel Noboa, faces 15 candidates, including the best positioned in the polls is Luisa González of the Citizen Revolution Movement led by former President Rafael Correa. Some surveys point to a first round winning victory, while others indicate that González can get ahead.

In October 2023, Noboa beat González in the second round with 52% of the votes, assuming a 15 -month buffer term after then -President Guilherme Lasso dissolves Parliament and summoning early elections.

Reinforced security

Faced with increased violence linked to drug trafficking and growing insecurity, noboa decreed several preventive measures. Among them, the militarization of ports, the closure of the country’s borders from Saturday (8) until Monday (10) and the increase in the presence of security forces in the border regions. The government justified the actions citing alleged “attempts to destabilize armed groups”.

In recent years, drugs linked to drugs has shook Ecuador. In five years, homicides increased 588%, from 7 to 38 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. According to anthropologist Salvador Schavelzon, professor at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), the issue of security became the central theme of the election, favoring the candidacy of Noboa.

Also read: In Ecuador, election opposes repression and neoliberalism to the country’s reconstruction

“The issue of security has replaced others that were traditionally important and guided the elections in Ecuador, such as the indigenous issue, extractivism, ecology. These were important topics in the 2008 constituent process. Now the election is about violence and security. This plays in favor of Daniel, ”Schavelzon told Brazil agency.

In addition, since 2021, the country has faced rebellions and wars between criminal factions. In January of this year, the case of four teenagers found dead after being arrested by the military shocked public opinion and resulted in the arrest of 16 Armed Forces agents.

Electoral scenario and possible second round

Recent research indicates the possibility of winning the election in the first round. The current president is heir to a vast business empire, the holding Nobis, and maintains close relations with the governments of the United States, Argentina and El Salvador. According to the Ecuadorian socology Irene León, Noboa defends an anarchopitalist economy, benefiting the great capital.

“He is the richest heir in the country and is part of this economic surroundings. If you win the elections, you will continue to make it available to the market, the big capital, everything the country has. The focus of its proposal is an economy associated with the libertarian anarchocapitalist vision that is rising in Latin America, ”said Irene.

On the other hand, Luisa González represents the Citizen Revolution Party of former President Rafael Correa, which is exiled in Belgium after being convicted of corruption. “González proposes measures for the reactivation of the economy with the involvement of the state, but also of other actors. They have a proposal of less dependence on oil export and also defends the foreign debt audit, ”he added.

If no candidate reaches 50% of the votes or 40% with a difference of 10 percentage points compared to second place, the election will go to the second round, scheduled for April 13.

How the vote in Ecuador works

The vote occurs from 7 am to 5 pm local time (9 am to 7 pm GMT) and is mandatory for Ecuadorians between 18 and 65 years, under penalty of 47 dollars (R $ 271).

Each voter receives four banknotes: one to choose from the eight presidential plates and three for the selection of national legislators, provincial legislators and members of the Andean Parliament, the organ of the Andean community.

The initial counting of the votes begins shortly after the end of the polls, with the first projections expected for Sunday night. Ecuador is experiencing a tense election amid concerns about security and uncertainty about the country’s political future.

__

With information from agencies