Noboa Re-Elected in Elections Deemed Fraudulent

The far-right President Daniel Noboa, of the National Democratic Action Party, was declared the winner of the decisive second round of elections held this Sunday in Ecuador, surprisingly winning over leftist Luisa González, of the Citizens' Revolution Party, the clear favorite in the polls. González rejected the results, called for a recount, and denounced the president as a dictatorship in the South American nation.

The National Electoral Council, previously accused of being influenced by the billionaire president, reported that with 85.12% of the votes counted, Noboa had 55.95% of the votes, and Luisa 44.05%, in an election where 83.76% of the nearly 14 million voters turned out.

Minutes after the controversial result was announced, the Antifascist International denounced the reactionary nature of the Noboa regime and the need for the opposition movement to remain united and well-organized to confront the foreign forces seeking to keep him in power, as well as the ongoing mercenarism and complicity with elements ranging from drug trafficking groups to soldiers and police trained to prevent a change of government.

Noboa's program includes  fighting organized crime and the violence that plagues the country, a scene of multiple crimes, but reality shows a great inconsistency in this regard. With the entry of US troops and the reactivation of the military base in Manta, he also declared a state of siege in the provinces where Correísmo holds the majority ahead of these elections and promoted measures by the National Electoral Council that, paradoxically, were detrimental to the clarity of the nature of the vote.

It was particularly worrying that, despite the fact that Ecuador's Electoral Code prohibits any regulatory changes in the year prior to elections—establishing financial penalties of between $9,870 - $32,900—the National Electoral Council imposed a ban on the use of cell phones in polling stations, hindering the transfer of data and thus compromising the transparency essential to an electoral process.

Additionally, just five days before elections, he announced the relocation of ten polling stations in six provinces, a measure that affected numerous voters and created serious logistical obstacles that reduced voter turnout in the affected districts.

Among the institutional irregularities and political persecution are the unfounded accusations against Luisa González, and the unusually swift legal proceedings against other members of her party, such as Andrés Arauz and Virgilio Hernández, stemming from unsubstantiated complaints filed by members of the ruling National Democratic Action Party.

Their agendas were diametrically opposed, so the local and foreign far-right forces supporting Noboa could not allow the victory of a candidate who promoted the purging of what they called law enforcement, the fight against corruption, healthcare for all, and education, which should be free.

Thus, with Noboa in power until 2029, endorsed by the National Electoral Council, Ecuador remains a failed state, dominated by drug trafficking and organized crime.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff