Fast Facts about Ecuador's First-Round Presidential Vote

Whether it’s González or Noboa, the winner will finish out a period that matches up with what would have been the rest of Lasso’s term, given that the next election was supposed to take place in 2025.

Portion of Ecuador’s 12.6 million voters who cast ballots. The turnout is similar to recent elections. Voting is obligatory in Ecuador.

That’s how Ecuador’s top electoral authority, Diana Atamaint, described election day. Some 100,000 soldiers were deployed around Ecuador to protect against violence. 

While few disruptions were reported domestically, voters abroad faced challenges with the electronic voting system used that was subject to cyberattacks traced to Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine, per Atamaint. 

Portion of votes slain candidate Villavicencio received, putting him third. His replacement, Christian Zurita, was named six of days before the election, meaning his name did not appear on the ballot. 

Noboa himself denounced an attempted attack outside of Guayaquil on his caravan. He was unharmed. 

Amount of time Noboa spent in office as a lawmaker before the Assembly was dissolved. The second-place finisher has appealed to young voters and given his relatively short political career, positioned himself as an anti-establishment contender while boasting name recognition from his family’s fame. His composed performance in the final debate is may have also helped sway undecided voters, reports The Economist. His platform focuses on increasing employment, reforming transit, investing in healthcare personnel and technology, and reactivating the economies of the poorer provinces on the coast.

Noboa’s age, making him the youngest candidate of the eight competitors who ran in the first round. If elected, he would be the world’s second-youngest president after Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré. González, meanwhile, is 45. 

The number of Ecuadoran legislators—Noboa included—who visited Moscow in September 2022 in a bid to strengthen Ecuador’s ties with Russia. Noboa covered travel expenses. Russia is one of the main export destinations for the bananas the Noboa family sells, and the candidate is the president of the Interparliamentary Friendship Group between the Republic of Ecuador and the Russian Federation, a group he created before the trip.

Gónzalez’s position on abortion rights, even in the case of rape. Elsewhere, her platform has pledged to bring back Correa’s social programs, slash inequality, increase tourism, and tackle the country’s insecurity.