NYU Alumnus Daniel Noboa Wins Ecuadorian Presidential Election
Daniel Noboa waves to constituents before the General Election. Source: AP Photos/Dolores Ochoa
On Oct. 15, presidential candidate Daniel Noboa emerged victorious in the 2023 Ecuadorian general election. At the age of 35, he is the youngest president in Ecuadorian history and the youngest leader in Latin America.
Earlier this year, the election was tarnished with the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, a National Assembly member who was previously leading the polls in the 2023 Presidential Election. Following the death of Villavicencio, Noboa and his socialist rival, Luisa González, gained momentum in the polls. In the end, Noboa advanced to the second round of the presidential election with an impressive 24% share of the votes. In this final round, Noboa walked away with just over 52% of votes, surpassing González who only brought in about 48 percent.
Daniel Noboa Azin was born in Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, on November 30, 1987. The new president-elect graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business in 2010, and attained a public administration degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School in 2020. He also received a Master’s degree in Professional Studies from George Washington University in 2022.
The Guardian described his demeanor as “calm and unconfrontational.” These traits seem to have resonated with young voters between the ages of 18 and 29, one of the key demographics in his favor.
His father, Álvaro Noboa, also ran for Ecuadorian presidency in the past, though unsuccessfully so. He is best known for owning Grupo Noboa, a fruit exporting company that has been dubbed a “banana business.” The group owns the banana company Bonita.
Noboa inherits a country that has seen massive economic crisis and political turmoil in the past few years. During the period of 2007-2017, socialist reforms by then President Rafael Correa brought poverty and inequality levels down and raised per-capita GDP to an unprecedented level. However, The Center for Economic and Policy Research notes that the country took a massive economic blow before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the economy has become the worst-performing in Latin America, with per-capita GDP 5% below that of 2019.
The president-elect is expected to capitalize on his business background and make US-Ecuador relations a priority after assuming office on November 30. The partnership would advance the trade of securities and the export of Ecuadorian commercial goods that already exists between the two countries. Noboa is also expected to continue the trade-relationship with China that was outlined by his predecessor, Lasso. The goal is to further increase the export of Ecuadorian agricultural products.
Noboa has promised as well to take a hard-on-crime approach and implement prison reform policies parallel to those of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. This strategy emphasizes isolation for high-risk inmates and surveillance drones to catch gang-related suspects and drug dealers. As part of the reforms, Noboa aims to increase the institutionalization of inmates, suggesting offshore prison-boats as a potential solution.
Daniel Noboa walking with his wife, Lavinia Valbonesi, following his victory. Source: Reuters/Santiago Arcos
The country has been plagued with violence over the past few years. On July 23, the mayor of the port-city of Manta was assassinated and, in August, an organizer for Citizen Revolution, the party of the former president Correa, was also shot dead. In addition to the political violence, Ecuador has experienced an increase in gang violence with a homicide rate that has nearly quadrupled since 2018. Noboa’s hard-line policies on crime are expected to be a direct response to these issues of violence, countering the country’s reputation of passivity.
Pundits have compared Noboa’s character to that of Gabriel Boric, current President of Chile. Currently 37 years old, Boric was elected in December of 2021, being at the time the youngest leader in the world. His victory marked what many thought to be the start of a youthful push towards global progressivism. Nevertheless, his presidency has been beset by political and legal turmoil that have stemmed from a recent change in Constitution.
In Ecuador, a new Constitution was also drafted in 2008 by newly-elected socialist President Correra. The reform sought to implement stricter checks and balances on government, restricting especially the executive branch. The Constitution allows for the impeachment of the President through a system called muerte cruzada, which requires two-thirds of the national assembly–a parliamentary body established by Correra– to vote for their removal from office. That being said, the system also allows for the dissolution of the National Assembly itself.
In May of 2023, President Guillermo Lasso invoked muerte cruzada and successfully dissolved the National Assembly. As a compromise, nonetheless, he was required to hold the general elections early to decide a new President. Noboa, who will assume office on November 30, will have to run again for reelection in early 2025.