Noboa defies predictions and wins in a landslide

President Daniel Noboa scored a landslide victory over Citizens Revolution’s Luisa González in Sunday’s presidential runoff election. In what was expected to be a close election, Noboa held a large lead from the start of vote counting and built the lead throughout the night.

President Daniel Noboa, accompanied by his children, voted early Sunday morning in Olón.

With 96% of votes counted at midnight, Noboa led González 55.8% to 44.2%.

In his victory statement at his home in Olón, Noboa thanked his supporters and said Ecuadorians have “overwhelmingly chosen a path” to the future, “A victory of more than 10 points and of a margin of more than a million votes, leaves no doubt who the winner is,” he said. “Ecuador does not want to return to the past, it wants to move forward.”

Former presidential candidate Bolivar Armijos was the first to congratulate Noboa but admitted he was shocked by the result. “I thought it would be very close and many of us thought Noboa was headed to defeat,” Armijos told Radio Quito. “Obviously, we underestimated the strength of the anti-Correista vote.”

Congratulations also came from former presidents Guillermo Lasso and Lenin Moreno and Cuenca Mayor Cristian Zamora.

At 8 p.m. González called the election “fraudulent” and said Citizens Revolution will demand a recount.

President of the National Electoral Council Diana Atamaint proclaimed Noboa the winner shortly after 9 Sunday night, saying his lead was “insurmountable” with the votes remaining to be counted. She added that the election “proceeded without major problems” and praised poll workers and vote counters for their efficiency. “The process happened as it should have, and as we expected, and international observers agree.”

She said that the González campaign is welcome to challenge the results but said a recount can only proceed under specific conditions. “First, we must receive the challenge within 24 hours,” she said. “Then, the challenging party must show evidence that vote counts lacked the required signature of the officer managing the counting table.”