Ecuador votes in the presidential election led by Daniel Nobo, Luis Gonzalez | News of the election

Daniel Noboa is looking for a re -election, and Luisa Gonzalez seen as his main rival.

Voters in Ecuador should choose their next president in a race dominated by a security crisis in the country and a combat economy.

The polls opened on Sunday at 7:00 Local Time (12:00 GMT) and will close 10 hours later (22:00 GMT).

Fifteen candidates challenging the arduous right of President Daniel Nobo, a 37-year-old son of a billionaire banana magnate who Ascent to power Just 14 months ago. His top challenger is Luisa Gonzalez, a 47-year-old protégé of former President Rafael Corre.

Gonzalez will have to dramatically surpass the pre-election surveys to defeat the frontrunner Nobo, whose iron is “Mano Dura” -Productory-Praise the crime experts are considering The key factor of his projected leadership.

If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, or 40 percent with a lead of 10 points to the nearest rival, April 13 will reach the second round.

‘Ecuador wants to continue to change’

AND Campaigns are mostly focused about concern about the fall of the Economy and Cartel wars that Ecuador has turned from one of the safest countries in the world one of the most dangerous.

Noboa, first chosen in 2023 to end his predecessor’s term, says that his army deploying on the streets and within prison helped to reduce violent death by 15 percent, led to a drastic fall in prison violence and facilitated the capture of the main gang of leaders.

“Today, Ecuador has changed and wants to continue changing, he wants to consolidate his triumph,” Noboa said at a rally of the final campaign on Thursday in the capital, Quito. “This Sunday, you regain your ability to dream.”

But the president’s rivals said they should do more to fight crime This has been swinging Ecuador in recent years.

Gonzalez says she would respond to crime with military and police operations, persecuted allegedly corrupt judges and prosecutors and implement a social consumption plan in the most insignificant areas.

“We cannot talk about control of violence without thinking about social justice, building Ecuador with peace, not war,” Gonzalez said. “We are heading to this transformation with each of you … We will save ourselves together.”

‘The worst crisis in half a century’

One of the world’s youngest leaders, Noboa, betting into his political future in a difficult approach to crime, which is widespread while the rival gang fights around the territory to smuggle cocaine.

During his first term, he declared a state of emergency, deployed an army throughout the country and gathered extraordinary executive powers suppress violence.

Human rights groups believe that Nobo’s aggressive use of the armed forces led to abuse, including the murder of four boys whose coal bodies were found near the army.

But analysts say Noboa can have an advantage because growing cartel violence and record high homicide rates continue to encourage support for the leadership of strong.

“Our research shows that most voters want some kind of dictatorship, they want that iron fist, regardless of the ideology behind her,” said analyst Omar Maluk for Al Jazeera.

“They still want a strong man who does not show weakness or sensitivity, even if these measures have been mostly failed so far, as Ecuador has achieved a world record of 700 killings this month.”

The security crisis hit the economy, which probably entered the recession last year.

Noboa was forced to turn to the international monetary fund to build a fiscal war chest of $ 4 billion.

Gonzalez, mitigating the fears that the IMF contract may be abolished if he was elected, he said on Saturday that the United Nations Agency was “welcome” to help, until he insisted on policies that damaged working families.