Ecuador’s second presidential election of 2025 features incumbent Daniel Noboa and challenger Luisa González, both supporting tough crime policies but offering different economic visions. Noboa continues to tackle violence with military intervention while facing an economic recession; González promotes a transition to a post-oil economy with increased social spending. Both candidates emphasize extending government authority for public safety, raising concerns for voters regarding the impact of such policies.
In the upcoming presidential election in Ecuador, incumbent President Daniel Noboa and challenger Luisa González present contrasting economic visions while both endorsing militaristic crime policies. This election follows February’s general election where neither secured the necessary majority, each receiving approximately 44 percent of the vote. Noboa, the youngest president who took office in 2023, was elected to complete Guillermo Lasso’s term after Lasso dissolved the National Assembly amid corruption allegations.
Noboa faced an urgent issue, as Ecuador’s murder rate had quadrupled from 2018 to 2022. To combat escalating violence, he declared a state of emergency in seven provinces shortly after assuming office, designating numerous gangs as terrorists. This intervention allowed military presence on the streets and permitted security forces to conduct searches without prior consent. Although these campaigns initially reduced homicide rates, January 2025 recorded an unprecedented number of violent deaths, raising concerns about long-term efficacy.
Ecuador’s economy has deteriorated under Noboa’s leadership, largely impacted by a severe energy crisis that resulted from droughts affecting hydropower production. Consequently, prolonged power outages caused significant economic losses, and by late 2024, the country experienced a 1.5 percent decline in GDP and a rise in poverty levels.
If reelected, Noboa intends to intensify his crime-fighting measures, including the construction of a new maximum-security facility for high-profile imprisoned drug lords. His economic strategy aims to tackle the energy crisis and alleviate poverty through enhanced social programs, maintaining certain welfare initiatives like the “Bono de Desarrollo Humano” that aids impoverished families.
In opposition, Luisa González—endorsed by former President Rafael Correa—has pledged to address crime with a strong security presence while denouncing any plans to intervene in Correa’s legal troubles. González intends to restore the Ministry of Justice to enhance rehabilitation programs, a department dismantled in 2018, which has faced accusations regarding prisoners’ rights since its closure.
Economically, González advocates transitioning away from oil dependency while proposing increased social expenditure, tax reductions, and credits for women entrepreneurs, signaling a potential revival of Correa’s policies. Despite their differing economic approaches, both candidates emphasize an expansion of state authority in pursuit of public safety, which raises concerns for voters about the implications these policies may entail.
The 2025 Ecuadorian presidential election stands as a pivotal decision point between incumbent Daniel Noboa and challenger Luisa González, both advocating strong state-led crime interventions but presenting varying economic policies. Noboa aims to intensify hardline measures against crime and resolve the energy crisis, while González promotes a shift from oil reliance and increased social spending. Regardless of the victor, the persistent prioritization of state power in the name of public safety may have significant implications for the Ecuadorian populace.
Original Source: reason.com
