Ecuador's incumbent Daniel Noboa has retained the presidency by winning the April 13 run-off election with 55.95% of the vote as per the National Electoral Council (CNE), with 92% of ballots counted, El Universo reported.

From its command centre at Quito's Hilton Colón Hotel, CNE authorities announced that conservative Noboa secured approximately 5,383,822 votes, confirming his mandate for the 2025-2029 presidential term. His opponent, Luisa González of the leftist Citizen Revolution (RC) and Total Renewal (RETO) coalition, received 44.07% or 4,241,450 votes.

This marks a significant widening of the margin between the candidates compared to the first round, where they were separated by just 17,000 votes, with each garnering more than 4.5mn votes.

CNE President Diana Atamaint highlighted the strong voter participation, noting that turnout reached 83.7%, exceeding the first-round figures.

“Today is going to be an important day in the history of Ecuador. Today, Ecuador wins,” Clarín quoted Noboa as saying after casting his ballot at a school in Olón where he resides.

"Ecuador is changing, Ecuador has already chosen a different path and that path is going to be for future generations to have a fairer life (...) and with progress," Noboa added.

Noboa, 37, Ecuador's youngest president in history, has served since November 2023 after winning a snap election. During his brief first term, he has prioritised tackling Ecuador's gang-related security crisis. The results have been remarkable, with the homicide rate dropping from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 38.76 in 2024, as per official government figures.

Yet despite the decisive result, González, a protegé of exiled former president Rafael Correa, has refused to concede, challenging the election's legitimacy. “We do not recognise the results presented by the CNE,” González stated as cited by La Nacion. “We will request a recount of the votes and the opening of the polls." She further claimed, "I denounce before my people, before the media, and before the world that Ecuador is experiencing a dictatorship and that we are facing the worst and most grotesque electoral fraud in Ecuador's history.”

Noboa's victory solidifies his position to continue addressing Ecuador's pressing security challenges and economic difficulties. While González's allegations of fraud could potentially delay the political process, the result is indicative of the faith of the majority of voters in Noboa’s tackling of the country’s security crisis.