海角大神

Daniel Noboa has managed to do what his father failed at five times: Getting elected as Ecuador鈥檚 president.

And he did it Oct. 15 on his first attempt, winning a runoff election against a leftist lawyer on the resume of a 35-year-old who belongs to the South American country鈥檚 elite, which means some schooling in the United States, some entrepreneurial work, and some dabbling in politics.

Now, he must answer the universal demand to make Ecuador safe again, which voters urged on all the candidates who originally jumped into the race amid a surge in unprecedented violence tied to drug trafficking.

Mr. Noboa鈥檚 proposals to tackle the crucial issue have run the gamut. At one point in the campaign, he proposed turning ships into floating jails for the most violent criminals. At another, he simply promised more gear for police.

Voters are increasingly frightened by the escalation of drug violence over the past three years. Killings, kidnappings, robberies, and other criminal activities have become part of everyday life, leaving Ecuadorians wondering when, not if, they will be victims.

And as he is getting a truncated term, Mr. Noboa faces a daunting task.

鈥淚 think there would be a very slim chance that even the best-equipped president could reverse Ecuador鈥檚 security crisis within 18 months 鈥� it鈥檚 such a short period of time 鈥� and neither of these candidates was the best equipped. Noboa certainly not,鈥� said Will Freeman, a fellow on Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 鈥淗is proposals on security were erratic, and they gave the sense that he was improvising.鈥�

The incoming president鈥檚 term will run only through May 2025, which is what remains of the tenure of President Guillermo Lasso. He cut his term short when he dissolved the National Assembly in May as lawmakers pursued impeachment proceedings against him over alleged improprieties in a government contract.

With nearly all votes counted, electoral officials said Mr. Noboa had just over 52%, compared to nearly 48% for Luisa Gonz谩lez, an ally of exiled former President Rafael Correa. Ms. Gonz谩lez conceded defeat during a speech before supporters in which she also urged Mr. Noboa to fulfill his campaign promises.

After results showed him victorious, Mr. Noboa thanked Ecuadorians for believing in 鈥渁 new political project, a young political project, an improbable political project.鈥�

He said his goal is 鈥渢o return peace to the country, to give education to the youth again, to be able to provide employment to the many people who are looking for it.鈥� To that end, Mr. Noboa said, he will immediately begin to work to 鈥渞ebuild a country that has been seriously hit by violence, corruption, and hatred.鈥�

The government鈥檚 inability to tackle the security crisis was laid bare in August with the assassination of presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio. Since then, other politicians and political leaders have been killed or kidnapped, car bombs have exploded in multiple cities, including the capital, Quito, and inmates have rioted in prisons. Earlier this month, seven men held as suspects in Mr. Villavicencio鈥檚 slaying were themselves killed inside prisons.

Mr. Noboa opened an event-organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father鈥檚 Noboa Corp., where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics, and commercial areas. His political career began in 2021, when he got a seat in the National Assembly and chaired its Economic Development Commission.

His father, 脕lvaro Noboa, is the richest man in Ecuador thanks to a conglomerate that started in the growing and shipping of bananas 鈥� Ecuador鈥檚 main crop 鈥� and now includes more than 128 companies in dozens of countries. 脕lvaro Noboa聽unsuccessfully ran for president five times.

Daniel Noboa鈥檚 party will not have enough seats in the National Assembly to be able to govern on its own. Garnering support from opposing lawmakers will be key to avoiding the difficulties that plagued Mr. Lasso鈥檚 term.

Mr. Lasso, a conservative former banker, clashed constantly with lawmakers after his election in 2021 and decided not to run in the special election. On Oct. 15 he called on Ecuadorians to have a peaceful election and think about what is 鈥渂est for their children, their parents, and the country.鈥�

Under Mr. Lasso鈥檚 watch, violent deaths soared, reaching 4,600 in 2022, the country鈥檚 highest in history and double the total in 2021. The National Police tallied 3,568 violent deaths in the first half of 2023.

The spike in violence is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian, and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 expect much from this election,鈥� Julio Ricaurte, an engineer, said Oct. 15 near one of the voting centers in northern Quito. 鈥淔irst, because the president will have little time to do anything, and second because the [National] Assembly in our country is an organization that prevents anyone who comes to power from governing.鈥�

Mr. Noboa and Ms. Gonz谩lez advanced to the runoff by finishing ahead of six other candidates in the election鈥檚 first round on Aug. 22. The replacement of Mr. Villavicencio finished in third place.

Ms. Gonz谩lez was unknown to most voters until the party of Mr. Correa, her mentor, picked her as its presidential candidate. She held various government jobs during Mr. Correa鈥檚 decade-long presidency and was a lawmaker from 2021 until May.

At the start of the campaign, she said Mr. Correa would be her adviser, but she recently sought to distance herself a bit in an effort to court voters who oppose the former president, who remains a major force in Ecuador despite being found guilty of corruption in 2020 and sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. He has been living in his wife鈥檚 native Belgium since 2017.

Rosa Amagua帽a, a fruit and vegetable vendor, said that safety 鈥渋s the first thing that must be solved鈥� by the next president.

鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful the country will change,鈥� Ms. Amagua帽a said. 鈥淵es, it can. The next president must be able to do even something small.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.