Ecuador will choose its next president on Sunday amid surging violence and crime
CNN
Ecuadorians will head to the polls on Sunday in a runoff presidential election, choosing between a conservative incumbent or a leftist lawyer as the country struggles with a cocaine-fueled security crisis.
Ecuadorians will head to the polls on Sunday in a runoff presidential election, choosing between a conservative incumbent or a leftist lawyer as the country struggles with a cocaine-fueled security crisis. President Daniel Noboa is vying for a full four years in office after winning a special election in 2023 to complete his predecessor’s term. He will be running against Luisa González, the protégé of Ecuador’s left-wing former President Rafael Correa. The first round of voting in February ended with a near tie between both candidates. Whoever wins Sunday’s vote will have to steward a country suffering under surging violence and organized crime. Here’s what you should know: Once an island of peace in an otherwise turbulent region, the surging drug trade in recent years has caused Ecuador to have the highest homicide rate in Latin America in 2023, according to InSight Crime. The rate dropped slightly in 2024, but the violence continues as criminal groups have adapted and fragmented in the wake of a government crackdown.
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