Voters Face a Tough Choice

Ecuador’s voters have a big decision to make before this election! There will be a runoff on April 13 for the country’s presidency, pitting current president Daniel Noboa against Luísa González. Both of these candidates have managed to beat out fourteen other hopefuls, so it is a huge deal. What’s fascinating is that this is the second time this year they have faced off against each other. The first time was in October. But before we dive into that, let's talk about the main issue everyone is worried about: crime. Crime has been a major headline here for years. It's a real problem. The most important issue for voters is the crime that was tied with drugs that were produced in the neighbouring countries. When Noboa first took office, the number of killings was 46. 18 for every 100, 000 people, but it has declined to 38. 76 per 100, 000 people. Still, Ecuador’s crime problem is not going anywhere since it is far higher than it was during 2019, when people were afraid to leave their homes due to crimes such as kidnapping and extortion. Noboa is from a family that made a fortune trading bananas, while Gonzalez has had backing from Ecuador’s most influential president this century. This makes the pickle voters are in even more fascinating. Plus, you’ve got to consider the people’s money. It is a record high turnout of eighty-three percent. One thing we know for sure is that there has been a lot of debate about how Noboa is handling crime.

Noboa was working to get himself a good reputation. Some say he is stepping on toes and testing laws. He has said the state of emergency was what he needed to do to keep the public safe. But others have questioned his methods. The biggest one is the raid on the Mexican embassy. There has also been a lot of talk about González. She has been working on making Ecuador great in previous years. She might be a fan of former president Correa, but she is no doubt trying to shake things up. She has been known to do things on her own. This is not the first time either of the candidates have been in office. Noboa won a seat in the National Assembly in 2021. He started working with his father, who had worked in shipping and logistics, and was a part of the economic development in Ecuador. This means there is some experience with these candidates, but Ecuadorians are still left wondering if their vote will be well spent. After all, everyone is tired of crime and are wondering what the next four years will bring. “I think if we can’t change things in four more years, ” said Marta Barres, a 35-year-old mother of three, “what will we be able to do? “. Meanwhile, back in the voter booths, there was a lot of talk about how in the end, crime is still the main issue that both of these candidates need to keep in mind. The election is likely to be one of the most important elections in recent years. And while voters have to choose between two candidates, the voters will likely question if there will be any other changes that will happen when this leader takes office.

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