Ecuador’s electoral council (CNE) has refuted accusations of fraud in the recent presidential election, where Daniel Noboa defeated his leftist opponent, Luisa Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has not conceded the election, citing a need for a recount, though she has yet to formally request one.
The CNE President Diana Atamaint asserted the election’s “total transparency” in a televised interview. International observers from the Organisation of American States and the European Union also confirmed the election’s integrity, declaring Noboa the winner shortly after polls closed, with 55.6% of the vote against Gonzalez’s 44.4%.
The CNE is set to release the official results in the coming days, paving the way for Noboa’s inauguration on May 24.
Noboa, who has been in office since November 2023, has focused on combating gang violence and addressing an energy crisis.
Having won a full four-year term, Noboa now faces the significant challenge of unifying a country plagued by violence, with drug cartels battling for control of key trafficking routes.
