President wins re-election in Ecuador after poll seen as test of his 'war on drugs'

In an election seen as a referendum on his "war on drugs", Ecuador's rightwing president, Daniel Noboa, won Sunday's presidential runoff, defeating the leftist candidate Luisa Gonzalez.

- Tiago Rogero

With 97% of ballots counted, the incumbent had secured 55.65% of the vote, compared with 44.35% for the former congresswoman.

The national electoral council said the margin "marks an irreversible trend", in effect recognising Noboa's victory. In a speech shortly after the announcement, Noboa called it a "historic victory".

"A victory by more than 10 points, a victory by over a million votes, leaving no doubt about who the winner is," he told his supporters.

Donald Trump congratulated Noboa on his Truth Social platform, calling him a "great leader" and saying "he will not let you down!"

Gonzalez, meanwhile, said she would not accept the results, which she called "grotesque" fraud.

"We will request a recount and for the ballot boxes to be opened," she told her supporters, while the crowd shouted "fraud".

Gonzalez's party, Citizens' Revolution (RC), repeated the fraud allegations in a statement yesterday, but influential party members recognised Noboa's victory.

"If the people elected him, we must respect it. Whether we like it or not, the people voted democratically and we must be honest and recognise it," said Aquiles Alvarez, the RC mayor of Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil. "The worst is to be a bad loser."