Daniel Noboa, a 35-year-old businessman, will be the next president of Ecuador. With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted he had over 52 percent of the vote, defeating Luisa González, a loyalist of former left-wing President Rafael Correa.
Son of the richest man in the country and heir to a banana empire, Mr. Noboa entered the race as a semi-unknown candidate. While he does not come from any political party, nor does he define himself ideologically, Mr. Noboa espouses a pro-business discourse, defending tax cuts and encouraging foreign investment.
He embodies politics in the age of TikTok. On the campaign trail, he used the platform to project the image of a family man with a stable marriage and who is successful enough to have his own helicopter.
Mr. Noboa’s victory is an incredible setback for Correísmo, the political movement named after the former president. Mr. Correa chose Luisa González, an unknown and relatively uncharismatic politician, to be his proxy in the campaign. Riding on the coattails of Mr. Correa’s popularity, some of Ms. González’ campaign posters featured his photo, complete with her name.
In the February provincial...
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