Breaking News: President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador won re-election, defeating Luisa González, a challenger who had the backing of the populist former president.

 Supporters of President Daniel Noboa during an election campaign event in Quito, Ecuador, in February.Credit...

Ecuador’s president, who made an unexpected surge in the polls to win a shortened term in 2023, was officially declared the winner of Sunday’s presidential election, securing a strong lead in a contest that reflected voters’ support for his tough-on-crime approach.

Daniel Noboa, 37, defeated 47-year-old Luisa González, the chosen successor of former President Rafael Correa.

Throughout the campaign, both candidates accused each other of electoral misconduct. Following the results, Ms. González, speaking from the headquarters of her party, Citizen Revolution, stated that she would not accept the outcome of the election.

“I want to be very clear and emphatic: Citizen Revolution has always accepted defeat in past elections when polls, tracking, and statistics supported it,” González said. “Today, we do not recognize these results.”

Mr. Daniel Noboa celebrated his election victory from the coastal town of Olón, declaring, “This day has been historic. There is no doubt who the winner is.”

On the eve of the election, Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven provinces—many of which are strongholds of his opponent, Luisa González—raising concerns that the move was intended to suppress voter turnout among her supporters. The emergency order restricted social gatherings and granted police and military the authority to enter homes without a warrant.

Noboa defended the decision as a necessary response to escalating violence in certain regions of Ecuador. However, Ms. González condemned the measure, calling it an attempt to interfere with the democratic process.

“Declaring a state of emergency during an electoral process based on alleged serious unrest is highly questionable,” said Mauricio Alarcón Salvador, director of Transparency International’s Ecuador chapter. He emphasized that the decision should be reviewed by the Supreme Court, while also stating that allegations of electoral fraud “must be backed by evidence,” especially in light of Noboa’s commanding lead. “It cannot and should not be just an unfounded claim,” he added.

While Noboa has portrayed himself as a tough-on-crime leader, his administration has so far made limited progress in addressing Ecuador’s deep-rooted issues with drug-related violence and unemployment.

Over the past five years, Ecuador has seen a surge in drug trafficking-related violence. A broken justice system—marked by overcrowded prisons, corruption, and chronic underfunding—has allowed gangs, often connected to powerful international drug cartels, to thrive. This transformation has turned the once-stable nation of 18 million into a major player in the global drug trade, dramatically impacting daily life and the country’s regional standing.

Meanwhile, economic woes persist, with only 36 percent of Ecuadoreans holding adequate employment, according to official statistics, making job creation a pressing concern for voters.

Noboa secured 56 percent of the vote, compared to González’s 44 percent, with over 97 percent of the ballots counted as of Sunday evening, according to official results.

In what was anticipated to be a close race, Noboa took a commanding lead early in the evening. By 8 p.m., crowds of his supporters gathered outside the national electoral council in Quito, celebrating with flags, horns, and life-size cardboard cutouts of the president-elect. Just blocks away, at the headquarters of González’s party, hundreds of her supporters chanted, “Recount.”

Certainly! Here’s a clearer and more polished version of the passage in English:

Since 2023, Ecuador has been rocked by a series of violent incidents, including the assassination of a presidential candidate, the prison killings of six men accused in his murder, multiple prison riots, and the dramatic on-air siege of a television station.

In response to the escalating crisis, President Noboa declared a state of internal armed conflict last year, granting the military authority to patrol both the streets and the country's overcrowded prisons. While the move was intended to restore order, human rights organizations criticized his heavy-handed approach as excessive and potentially harmful.

Despite the show of force, the heightened security measures were short-lived. Many Ecuadorians — including some who do not support Noboa — now say they want stronger, not weaker, action from the government. Although homicide rates initially dropped early in Noboa’s presidency, they have since begun to rise again.

On social media, Mr. Noboa presented himself as a tough-on-crime, law-and-order leader. However, that image hasn’t translated into tangible results, according to Caroline Ávila, an Ecuadorean political analyst.