Daniel Noboa, heir to banana fortune, wins Ecuador's presidential runoff election

October 15, 202311:53 PM ET
By The Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador — Daniel Noboa, an inexperienced politician and an heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, won Ecuador's presidential runoff election Sunday held amid unprecedented violence that even claimed the life of a candidate.

With about 96% of the votes counted, electoral officials said Noboa had 52.2% of the votes, compared to 47.8% for Luisa González, a leftist lawyer and ally of exiled former President Rafael Correa. González conceded defeat during a speech before supporters Sunday night and said she planned to call Noboa to congratulate him.

Noboa, 35, will lead the South American country during a period that drug trafficking-related violence has left Ecuadorians wondering when, not if, they will be victims for the first, third or eighth time. Their uneasiness has prompted them to continuously watch their backs and limit how often they leave home.

The incoming president's term will run only through May 2025, which is what remains of the tenure of President Guillermo Lasso. He cut his term short when he dissolved the country's National Assembly in May as lawmakers carried out impeachment proceedings against him over alleged improprieties in a contract by a state-owned company.

[...]