Incumbent Daniel Noboa seeks re-election, with Luisa Gonzalez seen as his principal rival.
Voters in Ecuador are set to choose their subsequent president in a race dominated by the nation’s safety disaster and struggling financial system.
Polls opened at 7am native time (12:00 GMT) on Sunday and can shut 10 hours later (22:00 GMT).
Fifteen candidates are difficult hard-right incumbent President Daniel Noboa, the 37-year-old son of a billionaire banana magnate who ascended to power simply 14 months in the past. His prime challenger is left-wing lawmaker Luisa Gonzalez, a 47-year-old protege of former President Rafael Correa.
Gonzalez must dramatically outperform pre-election polls to beat frontrunner Noboa, whose iron-fisted – or “mano dura” – strategy to crime is considered by experts a key consider his projected lead.
If no candidate will get 50 p.c of the vote, or 40 p.c with a 10-point lead on the closest rival, there will likely be a second-round run-off on April 13.
‘Ecuador needs to maintain altering’
The campaigns have largely focused on considerations in regards to the slumping financial system and cartel turf wars which have turned Ecuador from one of many most secure international locations on the planet to one of the most dangerous.
Noboa, first elected in 2023 to complete out his predecessor’s time period, says his deployment of the navy on the streets and inside prisons has helped cut back violent deaths by 15 p.c, led to a drastic fall in jail violence, and facilitated the seize of main gang leaders.
“As we speak, Ecuador has modified and desires to maintain altering, it needs to consolidate its triumph,” Noboa mentioned at a closing marketing campaign rally on Thursday within the capital, Quito. “This Sunday, reclaim your potential to dream.”
However the president’s rivals have mentioned extra must be finished to battle the drug trade-related crime that has rocked Ecuador lately.
Gonzalez says she would reply to crime with navy and police operations, pursue allegedly corrupt judges and prosecutors and implement a social spending plan in essentially the most violent areas.
“We will’t speak about controlling violence with out considering of social justice, of constructing an Ecuador with peace, not with battle,” mentioned Gonzalez. “We’re transferring towards this transformation with every one in every of you … we’ll save ourselves, collectively.”
‘Worst disaster in half a century’
One of many world’s youngest leaders, Noboa has guess his political future on a tricky strategy to crime, which has grown rampant as rival gangs battle over territory for cocaine smuggling.
Throughout his first time period, he declared a state of emergency, deployed the military throughout the nation and gathered extraordinary executive powers to curb the violence.
Human rights teams consider that Noboa’s aggressive use of the armed forces has led to abuses, together with the homicide of 4 boys whose charred our bodies have been discovered close to a military base.
However analysts say Noboa might have the sting, as rising cartel violence and record-high murder charges proceed to gasoline assist for strongman management.
“Our analysis reveals that almost all of voters desire a form of dictatorship, they need that iron fist regardless of the ideology behind it’s,” analyst Omar Maluk advised Al Jazeera.
“They nonetheless desire a sturdy man who reveals no weak spot or sensibilities, even when these measures have largely failed thus far, as a result of this January, Ecuador reached a world file of 700 killings in a single month.”
The safety disaster has hit the financial system, which seemingly entered a recession final yr.
Noboa has been compelled to show to the Worldwide Financial Fund to construct a $4bn fiscal battle chest.
Gonzalez, easing fears that she might scrap the IMF deal if elected, mentioned on Saturday that the United Nations company was “welcome” to assist, as long as it doesn’t insist on insurance policies that harm working households.
