Daniel Noboa, a virtual unknown in politics, fulfilled his banana magnate father’s frustrated dream of coming to power and became the youngest president in Ecuador’s history on Sunday at the age of 35.
Very active on social media, with a cold face and few words, Noboa surprised in the second round and gained strength as the days passed until she won with 52% of the votes over the left-wing candidate Luisa González (48%).
“We will start working tomorrow for this new Ecuador (…) to rebuild a country seriously affected by violence, corruption and hatred,” the new president said at his residence in Olón (southwest), where he met the press received.
With this victory, Noboa broke the losing streak of his father, who unsuccessfully sought the presidency five times.
Moreover, he dealt a new blow to former Socialist President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), a former rival of his father, Álvaro Noboa, who planned to return to power in the form of his political heir González.
The new president, a graduate of prestigious foreign universities, describes himself as center-left, although he is supported by right-wing forces. Sommelier, with musical knowledge, tried to be vegetarian, collects peppers and, according to his press team, is passionate about cars and horses.
‘They might kill me’
Noboa gained experience behind the scenes of his father’s election campaigns, who faced the then little-known Correa at the ballot box in 2006. On that occasion, the socialist obtained 57% of the valid votes and remained in power for ten years. As the heir to political capital, Noboa does not exhibit the same histrionics as his father, who knelt with a Bible in his hand and asked for the votes of Ecuadorians.
With an athletic and youthful figure, Noboa stepped away from the spectacle on stage and, dressed in a bulletproof vest, addressed the new generations. A few days before the second round, life-size cardboard dolls with his image became a trend.
And the truth is that he recovered from the unpopularity he enjoyed before the first round, when all polls put him in last place. “There were moments of fear, when we see that the numbers are still not in our favor (…) and difficult moments, when they kill one of our opponents, and then we think: ‘well, I say similar things. maybe they will kill me too,” he said in an interview with AFP.
Days before the first round on August 20, candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead as he left a rally in Quito.
The killing heightened terror in a country ravaged by violence from numerous gangs involved in the drug trade. Between 2018 and 2022, the murder rate quadrupled to 26 per 100,000 inhabitants.
At war”
Noboa’s only political position was as deputy in Congress, which President Guillermo Lasso dissolved in May to make way for early elections. At the time he headed the Economic Development Commission.
During his two years as deputy, Noboa was questioned over an alleged conflict of interest when he financed out of his own pocket the trip of seven deputies to Russia, one of the main destinations for bananas produced by the family business. The trip took place after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rejected by Quito, increasing criticism. His enemies also accuse him of tax evasion.
Noboa was the first to stand as a candidate for the elections in Ecuador on behalf of the National Democratic Action (ADN) alliance.
President-elect claims Ecuador is experiencing “a war.” “We must be steadfast if we want to save this country from this uncertainty,” he argues.
His most talked about proposal is to create prison ships to isolate prisoners from their criminal networks. It also plans to create tax breaks and low-cost credits for small business owners.
Noboa will rule until Lasso’s term expires, although he has not ruled out seeking re-election in May 2025.
The new president studied Management at New York University and obtained a master’s degree in Public Management from the Harvard Kennedy School. He also holds a master’s degree in administration and political communications from George Washington University.
Married to Lavinia Valbonesi, an influencer on nutritional issues, with whom he has one child and is expecting another, Noboa also has a daughter from his first marriage.
At the age of 18, he founded his first company dedicated to event production. He later joined the Noboa Corporation, the large family business, as director of the maritime and commercial areas.
Source: DN
