She proposed concrete solutions to the multidimensional crisis that the Noboa administration has failed to resolve.

On Sunday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez participated in the only debate for the 2025 elections as the top favorites to advance to the second round.

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The much-anticipated face-off between them did not occur in this debate because the sixteen presidential candidates were divided by lottery into two groups of eight. Noboa was placed in the first group, while Gonzalez was in the second.

The first group included Daniel Noboa (National Democratic Action), Henry Cucalón (Construye), Henry Kronfle (Social Christian Party), Francesco Tabacchi (CREO), Luis Felipe Tillería (Avanza), Juan Iván Cueva (Amigo), Jimmy Jairala (Democratic Center), and Jorge Escala (Democratic Unity).

The second group included Luisa Gonzalez (Citizen Revolution), Andrea Gonzalez Nader (Patriotic Society), Leonidas Iza (Pachakutik), Carlos Rabascall (Democratic Left), Pedro Granja (Socialist Party), Iván Saquicela (Democracy Yes), Enrique Gomez (SUMA), and Victor Araus (People, Equality, and Democracy).

The debate was the main opportunity for the other candidates to try to climb in the polls and compete for a spot in the second round against Noboa or Gonzalez, who each hold between 33% and 40% of voter intention according to some of the latest surveys.

The discussion revolved around the key topics of security, public services, and economic growth. However, the flow of the debate was disrupted by the short and highly regulated speaking time allotted to each candidate. Over the course of more than three hours, each participant was only able to speak for about eight minutes, with the longest interventions lasting just 90 seconds.

Daniel Noboa Defends His Administration

Noboa called for a full-term mandate (2025–2029) to consolidate the “war” against organized crime and continue the economic reforms he initiated during his short tenure, which began in November 2023.

The Ecuadorian president presented statistics regarding his administration’s results, which have been criticized by opponents and contradicted by current realities. For example, he claimed that homicides decreased by 15% in a country that still has some of the most violent cities in Latin America.

He also stated that Ecuador’s economy saw slight growth in 2024, while the latest outdated data from the Central Bank indicates that Ecuador was in recession during the first three quarters of 2024.

Francesco Tabacchi confronted Noboa about the forced disappearance and murder of four Afro-Ecuadorian minors, a case under investigation involving the Armed Forces. Regarding this human rights violation, Noboa declined to apologize, as requested by another presidential candidate.

Jorge Escala delved into the economic consequences and job losses caused by daily blackouts lasting up to fourteen hours from September to December. He also accused the Noboa family of owing taxes to the Ecuadorian state.

Luisa Gonzalez Aims to Fight Corruption

The candidate from the Citizen Revolution party began her remarks by naming the four missing Black children: Saul, Ismael, Steven, and Josue. “We propose a government of change, one that cares for our children and restores hope,” she said.

One of the key pillars of her proposed “Government of Change” is security. To achieve this, Gonzalez advocates for purging corrupt judges and prosecutors from the judicial system. She plans to reintroduce itinerant cabinet meetings and use technology to identify corruption networks.

Specifically, Gonzalez proposes investigating judges and prosecutors who have illicitly enriched themselves while protecting those handling sensitive cases. To illustrate the judiciary’s crisis, she recalled that Ivan Saquicela, who is now a presidencial candidate, was the judge who released Jorge Zambrano (alias “Rasquiña”), a leader of the criminal gang Los Choneros, who was later assassinated.

Gonzalez emphasized the need to work toward an efficient state and intensify the fight against criminal groups. She promised to remove “bad elements” from law enforcement and strengthen the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE) to trace money laundering from drug trafficking in Ecuadorian banks.

The leftist presidential candidate highlighted that the blackouts the Noboa administration failed to prevent or resolve led to the loss of at least 250,000 formal jobs.

Furthermore, Gonzalez criticized the outgoing government for dismantling public services, the lack of medicines in hospitals, and the reduction of university budgets.

teleSUR/ JF Sources: EFE – Pichincha Comunicaciones

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