Ecuador chooses: Noboa fights against the drug war and high murder rate!

Ecuador chooses: Noboa fights against the drug war and high murder rate!

The elections in Ecuador are just around the corner and the tension is literally tangible! Next Sunday, almost 14 million Ecuadorians are not only allowed to choose a new president, but also determine the members of the National Assembly and the Andean Parliament. The current President Daniel Noboa is in a delicate location: In order to win the elections in the first round, he needs a vote of over 50 percent or a lead of at least ten percentage points. If this does not succeed, a run-off election on April 13 will have to decide who will be at the head of the country, which is burdened by violence and drug crime, such as reported.

Noboa, who has only been in office since November 2023 and is one of the youngest presidents in the world at 37, faces pressing challenges. The previous term of office of Guillermo Lasso ended in the dissolution of Parliament, and Noboa had to deal with a catastrophic security situation during his short term. Ecuador today has the highest murder rate of Latin America, which made the security debate a central election campaign topic. During his last appearance, Noboa even had to wear a bulletproof vest because the criminal gangs penetrated the state institutions. Critics accuse him of not adequately reforming the investigation and police work, and speaking of an authoritarian regime, as taz.de reported.

competition in the race for the presidency

One of his main controllers is Luisa González, who is supported by former President Rafael Correa, who lives in exile for corruption. González, which is committed to social reforms and the strengthening of the welfare state, had already competed towards Noboa in the previous elections. It is speculated whether the voters are ready to go back to Correa and his party Revolución Ciudadana after the recent authoritarian tendencies, which were criticized during his term.

The situation in the country is also reflected in the decisions of Noboa, which has taken numerous risky steps to take action against the drug cartels and escalating violence. An example of the precarious situation was the murder of the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio during his election campaign event. Noboa was indomitable and had even classified the drug cartels as terrorist organizations in the past. While the murder rate increased in 2024, the question remains whether its strength is sufficient to triumph in the election and to fight violence effectively.