Mon Apr 14 07:38:24 UTC 2025: ## Ecuador’s Noboa Wins Second Term in Landslide Victory Amid Fraud Claims

**QUITO, Ecuador** – Incumbent President Daniel Noboa secured a resounding victory in Ecuador’s presidential runoff election, winning a full four-year term by a wide margin, according to official results released late Sunday. With over 90% of ballots counted, the 37-year-old right-wing leader garnered 55.8% of the vote, defeating leftist challenger Luisa Gonzalez by twelve points.

Noboa’s victory comes as a surprise to many, considering his narrow first-round win in February and Gonzalez’s strong showing in pre-election polls. His campaign focused heavily on his “mano dura” (tough hand) approach to combating the surge in drug-related violence plaguing the nation. This strategy, implemented since his snap election win 16 months ago, has involved deploying the military, capturing drug lords, and collaborating with US special forces.

Gonzalez, however, has rejected the results, alleging widespread electoral fraud and demanding a recount. She attributed her loss, in part, to her close ties to former President Rafael Correa. Her supporters took to the streets chanting slogans alleging the “worst and most grotesque electoral fraud in the history of Ecuador”.

Ecuador has experienced a dramatic rise in violence linked to cocaine trafficking from neighboring Colombia and Peru since 2021. The country averaged a homicide every hour at the beginning of the year, prompting widespread concern among voters. This violence has severely impacted the economy, deterring investment and tourism, and pushing the poverty rate to 28%.

Noboa, inheritor of a banana-trading family fortune, now has a four-year mandate to continue his tough-on-crime policies and address the economic challenges facing Ecuador. He has pledged to continue his efforts to curb violence and revitalize the struggling economy. His victory marks a significant win for the right-wing in Ecuador, solidifying his position and providing a clear mandate to govern for the next four years.

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