With US support, Noboa starts new term in Ecuador

Quito watched this Saturday (24) the possession of Daniel Noboa37, for your First complete term as president of Ecuadoramid the opposite of the opposition, denunciations of electoral fraudmilitarization of policy and explicit alignment to the interests of the United States. Heir to one of the country’s largest bananeous empires and a representative of the traditional oligarchy, Noboa assumes under the speech of “total security” and war against drug trafficking – and with the support of controversial figures of international geopolitics.

The ceremony, held at the National Assembly and conducted by Niels Olsen Peet, president of the Legislature, was marked by a symbolic gesture of unity between the two – from the political reality of the country, deeply polarized.

Possession under state of exception and military presence on the streets

The new possession happens only two weeks after an election highly questioned by opposition sectors, especially by Citizen RevolutionSubtitle of the defeated candidate Luisa Gonzalez. Noboa’s victory was preceded by measures considered authoritarian, such as the Declaration of State of Exception in Seven Provinces and in the Capital Quito– one day before the vote – and the illegal maintenance of the president in office during the electoral processin violation of the Ecuadorian Constitution.

Even with protests and alerts of civil and international organizations, the Brazilian government was one of the nations that officially greeting Noboa’s “reelection”.

Military, prisons and Blackwater: The El Salvador model as inspiration

In a speech during the inauguration, Noboa promised that the reduction of homicides will be “a non -negotiable goal” and announced the deepening of the militarization of security policies:

“We will keep our fight against drug trafficking, seize illegal weapons, ammunition and explosives and exercise greater control in the country’s ports.”

Inspired by the policies of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele-internationally criticized for human rights violations-Noboa signed agreements with the United States, Israel and Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, a deprived company of mercenaries known for their crimes during US occupation in Iraq.

In addition, one of the president’s main campaign promises was the construction of new prisons – a strategy also inherited from the Salvadoran model.

Galapagos provided to US military base

The approach with Washington gained more serious contours in early April, when, visiting Florida, Daniel Noboa announced the assignment of Galapagos IslandUNESCO World Heritage, for the installation of a Military Base Two United States. The agreement, considered unconstitutional, directly violates the article of the Ecuadorian Magna Carta that prohibits the presence of foreign forces in the national territory.

The movement opened the role of paid as a key piece of American strategy to resume control over Latin America and the Caribbeanas explicitly stated by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Donald Trump, former US president, wasted no time to congratulate his Ecuadorian ally for “reelection”, sealing the ideological alignment between the two.

Contradictory numbers and media manipulation

While the government celebrates an alleged 15% drop in homicides in 2024, the latest data from the Ecuador’s own ministry indicate that The murders increased 58% in the first four months of 2025with more than 3,000 registered violent deaths – highlighting the ineffectiveness and contradiction of the official discourse.

At the same time, the repression of social and critical manifestations to the government grows, with arbitrary arrests being recorded in areas under exception.

International silence and progressive indignation

A Normalization of possession of noboa On the part of democratic governments in the region, such as Chile’s, led by Gabriel Boric, generated indignation between progressive sectors. Boric, who had already questioned the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s election in Venezuela, was quick to recognize the victory of an elected candidate on consistent accusations of fraud and abuse of power.

Even with all the evidence, Ecuadorian institutions – dominated by the right – did not move a single case against noboa, either for their improper stay in office or by the delivery of national sovereignty.

Ecuador as a laboratory and alerts to Brazil

With the consolidation of noboa in power, Ecuador may be becoming a laboratory of new forms of neoliberal authoritarianism, with strong external support, institutional control and repression disguised as “order”.

The fight against authoritarian advancement and the militarization of politics in Latin America, now with a new and worrying chapter in Ecuador, tends to mark the regional clash in the coming years. The dispute between Popular sovereignty and corporate delivery It is officially declared.

A Citizen Revolution It has announced that it will not passively accept the result and articulates lawsuits and popular mobilization. But in the face of the state of exception, the confrontation promises to be difficult and marked by strong repression.