In Quito on February 5, Ecuadorean leftist Luisa Gonzalez asserts that her plans focusing on social welfare and stricter penalties for criminals will be more effective than what she views as the ad-hoc policies of current President Daniel Noboa. However, she faces a challenging task in winning the upcoming presidential election on Sunday.
Gonzalez, who previously lost to Noboa in a 2023 snap election and is now running as the candidate for the Citizens' Revolution party under the guidance of her mentor, former President Rafael Correa.
Various polls indicate a potential runoff in April between 47-year-old lawyer Gonzalez, aiming to become Ecuador's first female president, and 37-year-old business heir Noboa, with some forecasts pointing to Noboa winning outright in the initial round.
The country cannot improvise, Gonzalez expressed in a radio interview in late January. It requires knowledge, a team, and experience, and that is exactly what we offer in Citizens' Revolution and with Luisa Gonzalez.
Gonzalez outlines her strategies to combat the crime wave fueled by the drug trade through extensive military and police actions. She pledges to address alleged corruption within the judiciary system and presents plans for renewable energy initiatives, low-interest credit opportunities for small businesses led by women, and increased social investment in areas plagued by violence.
While Gonzalez and other candidates have criticized Noboa for ongoing street violence, no one has proposed a markedly different security plan from what is currently in place.
Having initially crossed paths with Correa at a government event in Riobamba, Gonzalez went on to collaborate closely with his administration from 2008 onwards, assuming leadership roles in two government secretariats before her election to the legislature in 2021.
Supporters of the Citizens' Revolution party speculate that a victory for Gonzalez could lead to Correa's return to Ecuador and former vice-president Jorge Glas, currently imprisoned on corruption charges, accepting an asylum offer from Mexico.
In Guayaquil, 20-year-old Mayito Villacis stated, Luisa is an intelligent woman and entirely capable of extricating us from the predicament we find ourselves in. We need to reclaim our country and erase Noboa from our past.
Presenting herself as a single mother, animal enthusiast, and sportswoman, Gonzalez asserts that it will be her, not Correa, making decisions if she assumes the presidency.
I will not rest until Ecuador is rejuvenated," Gonzalez affirmed in a campaign video. "Every time I hear something is impossible, that's precisely when I am most convinced it can be done.