Ecuador's new leader: Noboa wins amidst election dispute

Daniel Noboa received 55.8 percent of the votes in the second round of the presidential elections. The national electoral council announced his victory after counting more than 93 percent of the votes. Noboa defeated his rival, Luisa Gonzalez, who obtained 44.1 percent of the support.

"This victory has been historic, a victory of more than 10 points, a victory of more than one million votes, where there is no doubt about who is the winner," declared Noboa, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.

Luisa Gonzalez, a parliamentarian and lawyer, announced that she would not recognize the election results. I refuse to believe that a people would prefer lies instead of truth, violence instead of peace and unity. We are going to demand a recount and for them to open ballot boxes," she told her supporters in Quito.

Daniel Noboa, known as the "Ecuadorian Banana King," announced that his administration would be more just and transparent. During his electoral campaign, he promised a decisive fight against gangs and economic reform aimed at reducing the deficit. Noboa, a millionaire, was one of the few global leaders invited to the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Noboa reached out to Trump for assistance in combating the gangs that are destabilizing the country. To persuade the American leader, he offered the possibility of reopening American military bases in Ecuador. From 1999 to 2009, American troops were stationed in Ecuador, including at the air base in Manta, which was closed after the 2008 constitution prohibited foreign military bases in the country.

Luisa Gonzalez, described as the political heir of former leftist president Rafael Correa, promised in her campaign to strengthen the state's influence on the economy and to fight against "criminal neoliberalism" and the "fierce right-wing." Her group intends to request a recount of the votes.