Ecuador’s president, who unexpectedly surged in the polls to secure a shortened term in 2023, was declared the victor of the presidential election with a decisive lead on Sunday in a race that showed voters’ faith in his vows to tackle the security crisis with an iron fist.
Daniel Noboa, 37, defeated Luisa González, 47, the handpicked successor of former President Rafael Correa.
The day before the election, Mr. Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven states, most of them González strongholds, raising fears that he was trying to suppress the vote among her supporters. The declaration restricts social activities and allows police and military to enter homes without permission.
The president said the measure was in response to violence in certain parts of Ecuador. Ms. González described it as an attempt to curb political participation.
“Declaring a state of emergency in the middle of an electoral process due to alleged serious internal unrest is very questionable,” said Mauricio Alarcón Salvador, the director of Transparency International’s chapter in Ecuador, who added that the decision should be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
But he said that any claims of electoral fraud “must be substantiated,” something he saw as less likely given Mr. Noboa’s large margin of victory. “It cannot and should not be simply an assertion thrown into the air.”
Mr. Noboa received 56 percent of the vote, compared with Ms. González’s 44 percent, with more than 97 percent of votes counted on Sunday evening, according to official figures.
Mr. Noboa, a Harvard-educated heir to a multibillion-dollar banana empire, took office in 2023 after his predecessor called for early elections amid impeachment proceedings.