Seoul Gazette - Incumbent Noboa wins Ecuador presidential runoff

With 90 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Council said Noboa had an unassailable lead over his charismatic leftist rival Luisa Gonzalez.

Official results showed the 37-year-old president with 56 percent of the vote against Gonzalez's 44 percent.

Shocked by a weaker-than-expected showing, Gonzalez said she would call for a recount.

"I refuse to believe that the people prefer lies over the truth," she said.

Noboa claimed an "historic" victory. "There is no doubt who is the winner," he told jubilant supporters.

Noboa narrowly won February's first round, but not by enough to avoid another duel against a Gonzalez, who was bidding to become Ecuador's first woman president.

- 'Ecuador is divided' -

The campaigns were dominated by anger over the lackluster economy and cartel violence that has transformed Ecuador from one of the safest countries in Latin America into the most deadly.

In the volcano-ringed capital Quito, voters wrapped up against the Andean chill and flocked to the polling stations.

"I think Ecuador is divided, but I think we all understand we are in a situation where we have to unite, whoever is leading the government," said 21-year-old architecture student Camila Medina.

In total, about 13.7 million Ecuadorans were obliged to vote.

On the eve of the ballot, Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in the capital and several provinces, underscoring the tense state of affairs.

This once-peaceful nation averaged a killing every hour at the start of the year, as cartels vied for control over cocaine routes that pass through Ecuador's ports.

Noboa, the guitar-strumming son of a billionaire banana magnate, has staked his political fortunes on "iron fist" security policies designed to snuff out the gangs.

He has deployed the military to the streets, captured drug capos and invited the United States to send special forces.

By contrast, 47-year-old single mother Gonzalez pitched herself as a political everywoman, born to a humble family and laser-focused on improving the lot of poor Ecuadorans.

Rampant bloodshed has spooked investors and tourists alike, fueling economic malaise and swelling the ranks of Ecuador's poor to 28 percent of the population.

- 'Born with a problem' -

Noboa's win is likely to see him double down on hardline security policies and further nurture a budding bromance with US President Donald Trump.

Gonzalez was closely allied with ex-president Rafael Correa, who delighted in lobbing barbs at Washington during his decade in office.

He now lives in exile in Belgium, avoiding a corruption conviction he claims is politically motivated. He remains a deeply polarizing figure in his homeland.

P.Hwang--SG