SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
One of South America's most troubled country is wrestling again with who is best to combat its rampant drug trafficking, corruption and crime. Tomorrow, Ecuadorians vote for a new president who can tackle Ecuador's failing economy, its high murder rate and an energy crisis so severe, many people only have power for a few hours a day. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Spanish).
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Vendors hock everything from oranges to cure-all creams, like this seller outside a street market in Solanda, a working-class neighborhood in the capital, Quito. Byron Angulo says the situation is bad.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOD SIZZLING)
KAHN: He's grilling up Ecuadorian street food, pinchos - grilled beef and chicken cubes on a stick - at his small stand in the market. He says he's unimpressed with Ecuador's young president, Daniel Noboa, who's only been in power since 2023.
BYRON ANGULO: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "Nothing good has come from him. I don't see anything," Angulo complains to producer Carolina Loza Leon.
CAROLINA LOZA LEON, BYLINE: (Speaking Spanish).
ANGULO: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "I've seen nothing but more crime, more robberies," he says. It's been a rough run for the new president, who won a shortened term in a 2023 snap election, but is now defending his record, cracking down on Ecuador's rampant gang violence.
Sandwiched between South America's major cocaine producers, Ecuador has become a major conduit for international traffickers, using its ports to send drugs to Europe and the U.S. The violence has fueled migration out of Ecuador, mostly to the United States.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DANIEL NOBOA: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: In a recent debate, Noboa touts his mano duro - iron fist - Phoenix Plan for a drop in the homicide rate right after he took office. He declared war on the gangs, sent the army to the streets and arrested thousands. Noboa shrugs off a recent rise in crime, saying nothing can be resolved in just a year. Polls show many are willing to give him more time. The 37-year-old, heir to one of Ecuador's richest banana exporters, appeals to many voters through his savvy social media campaigns.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Singing in Spanish).
KAHN: He and his wife, a healthy living influencer, flood social media with glamor posts like this montage of Noboa sporting sunglasses, hip outfits and participating shirtless in outdoor sports. He doesn't give a lot of speeches but has handed out a multitude of life-size cardboard cutouts of himself for supporters to post selfies with the 2D pres.
Will Freeman, who follows Ecuador at the Washington D.C.-based Council of Foreign Relations, says despite Ecuador's persistent violence, voters are willing to give Noboa another term.
WILL FREEMAN: People keep saying he just hasn't had enough time to show what he's made of, which I think, is - wow, that is one patient electorate, and to be patient in Ecuador of all places.
KAHN: Which is amazing, says Freeman, given that Noboa isn't offering any new proposals to combat the record violence. His closest rival, a 47-year-old lawyer he beat last time and who is linked to Ecuador's recent leftist government, insists she has a better plan.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LUISA GONZALEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: Speaking at the recent debate, Luisa Gonzalez says the country must be pacified. Ecuador now has 5 out of the 10 most violent cities in the entire world, she says. She insists it can be done with more technology and a heavy crackdown on corruption. And she accuses Noboa of abusing his presidential power. She's polling right behind Noboa. If neither candidate wins 50% of the vote, the two are likely to square off again in the second round in April.
Carrie Kahn, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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