MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuador closing campaigns ahead of Sunday's runoff

Ecuador will have to choose between Noboa and González in a close run-off

Ecuador's presidential contenders, the incumbent Daniel Noboa and challenger Luisa González, are rounding up their campaigns ahead of Sunday's runoff, which will be a rematch of the Oct. 15, 2023, elections, where the banana businessman was elected to fulfill the departing Guillermo Lasso's term.

The campaign officially closes Thursday, with both candidates holding final events in Guayaquil after earlier rallies in Quito. Noboa, representing the National Democratic Action (ADN) movement, seeks re-election with promises of opportunity, justice, and an end to crime, emphasizing a neoliberal approach.

González, of former President Rafael Correa's Citizen Revolution (RC) movement, advocates for a stronger state to help the poor, backed by a broad coalition including indigenous groups and even some right-wing support.

The election follows a tight first round on Feb. 9, where González edged out Noboa by just 0.17%, and polls suggest the runoff will be equally close.

Ecuador faces significant challenges, including drug trafficking-related violence, economic struggles with high debt (57% of GDP), unemployment (23%), and poverty (28%), alongside a polarized political landscape.

Noboa has maintained a hardline security stance with military presence since 2024, reducing the murder rate from 47 to 38 per 100,000, though it remains the highest in Latin America, while González promises security with a human rights focus, drawing on Correa's legacy to promote unity thanks to the support she received from 75 social and political organizations, among them the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Pachakutik, Democratic Center and others.

Both candidates have urged vigilance at the polls amid a tense atmosphere marked by threats, heavy security, and accusations of potential fraud. The winner for the 2025-2029 term will inherit a nation grappling with violence, economic hardship, and deep divisions.

“We are going for a better country, we are going for a country of opportunities, a country where justice exists, we are going to put an end to delinquency, to criminality,” insisted Noboa during a rally in Quito alongside Vice-Presidential hopeful María José Pinto. He also urged his followers to persuade the undecided, in addition to asking those who abstained from voting in the first round to go to the polls.

Meanwhile, the 47-year-old lawyer and former Congresswoman González ratified her campaign promises. ”We do not look down, we look up, towards a future of hope, towards a future where amid diversity (...) we stand up for a homeland that shelters us with love, that is the homeland that we will build together,“ she said. ”A dignified and promising future is coming for all Ecuadoreans,“ she added. ”The impossible” has been achieved, she noted about former presidential candidate Jan Topic's endorsement.

Noboa and Gonzalez have been touring the country, giving interviews and upping their presence on social media. After Thursday's last rallies in Guayaquil, there will be a period of electoral silence starting at midnight.

More than 13 million Ecuadorians are registered to vote.