The candidate of the Citizen Revolution movement, Luisa Gonzalez, and businessman Daniel Noboa lead the count of the early presidential elections in Ecuador, after processing 67 percent of the votes.
Gonzalez, who is running for the Citizen Revolution movement, led by former president Rafael Correa (2007-2017), received according to the preliminary official report 33 percent of the votes, while Noboa 24 percent, during the election journey held this Sunday, August 20.
In third place is journalist Christian Zurita, late Fernando Villavicencio’s replacement, with 16 percent, while in fourth place is businessman and security specialist Jan Topic, with 14 percent.
The president of the CNE, Diana Atamaint, confirmed that with the trend observed so far, there will undoubtedly be a second round in October between the two most voted candidates. In order to win in the first round it is necessary to obtain at least 40 percent of the votes and a difference of at least ten points over the second place.
Atamaint also congratulated the Ecuadorian people for what she described as a historic day and thanked security forces for a day that passed without mayor incidents, despite denunciations of irregularities in voting centers abroad.
In her first statements after the closing of the polls, Gonzalez said that Ecuador “requires peace, work, security,’ to become free again, but also employment, education and medicine.
“We call for the unity of all Ecuadorians: private and public sector, all the forces of the country to build a vision of a country that gives us decent conditions for all and not just a small group,” said Gonzalez, who will be the first woman in the history of Ecuador to dispute the ballot in a presidential race.
She also said that they want 18 million Ecuadorians “with dignity” adding that the “homeland will return with hope, dignity and security,” while noting that she feels an “immense joy” and she rejected what a dirty campaign “against her, against the Citizen Revolution and her condition as a woman.”
She said she felt “deeply grateful because, so far in the election, they have gained about 1.5 million more votes than the next highest vote-getter.”
Luisa González said that in case she becomes president, she will strengthen democracy through institutionalism, guaranteeing that there will be no extortion in the country, and emphasized that Ecuador will once again have a government close to the people.
For his part, Daniel Noboa declared himself as Luisa Gonzalez’s rival to dispute the second round of Ecuador’s early presidential elections. Noboa emphasized in a press conference that he will be the one who will have the opportunity to defeat Correismo in the runoff scheduled for Sunday, October 15. “It will not be the first time that a new project turns the political ‘establishment’ upside down, he said. This freshness in politics is what has brought us here,” added Novoa without disclosing that he represent the interest of the Ecuadorian economic and political elite.
SIGAMOS AHORA MÁS JUNTOS QUE NUNCA.
MERECEMOS UN NUEVO ECUADOR 🇪🇨
Gracias a todas y todos 💪🏻 @Adnecuadorok #NoboaPresidente #NoboaEsEmpleo #ADN pic.twitter.com/z68JqlM3s3— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) August 21, 2023
The candidate added he believes that Ecuadorians “have a great project and we did an excellent campaign in the territory. What we needed was to increase awareness and that was achieved with the debate,” he said.
Noboa mentioned that the only alliance he has is with the people, and with them he will win the second round.
The rest of the presidential candidates made their statements as the night progressed, acknowledging their defeat and avoiding explicit support for either of the two remaining candidates in the race.
Daniel Noboa has declared himself as “a businessman with social responsibility,” who will promote the arrival of foreign investment. The 35-year-old presidential candidate, son of businessman and five-time presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa, has made no secret of his desire to promote activities such as mining exploitation.
Majority in Congress
On Monday the CNE announced that with 90.7 percent of the votes counted, the Citizen Revolution movement obtained 39.3 percent of the seats in the next National Assembly. The electoral authority reported that up to 06H30 (local time), the Construye movement obtained 20.66 percent of the ballots, while the Alianza ADN, PID and Mover obtained 14.67 percent.
In turn, the Social Christian Party (PSC) received 11.83 percent; Alianza Actuemos, Avanza and SUMA 4.53 percent and Sociedad Patriótica 21 de Enero 3.17 percent.
Finally, Alianza Claro que se Puede, Unidad Popular-Partido Socialista- Democracia Sí obtained 2.87 percent; Movimiento Renovación Total, RETO 1.70 percent and Movimiento Acción Movilizadora Independiente Generando Oportunidades (Amigo) 1.21 percent.
Featured image: Correismo presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez holding an Ecuadorian flag during a campaign rally in Quito. Photo: EFE.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/
