Peekskill’s sister city, Cuenca, is nestled in the southern Andes mountains in Ecuador. The first week of my two-month Spanish immersion assignment in the country coincides with the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday, February 9. There are signs and posters throughout the metropolitan areas of the two cities I’ve visited, Quito and Cuenca.
In a rematch from the October 2023 election, current president Daniel Noboa, 37, who visited Peekskill last September, is facing Luisa Gonzalez, 47, Gonzalez garnered more votes than any other candidate in the first round of voting in 2023 – only to lose to Noboa in the second round.
Noboa, who is the youngest elected president in Ecuador’s history, assumed an express presidential term of one and a half years (normally lasting four years). Noboa was not beginning a new term but rather completing the one left unfinished by former President Guillermo Lasso.
In May 2023, during an impeachment trial, Lasso —accused of embezzlement— invoked “muerte cruzada,” a constitutional mechanism that dissolves the National Assembly and calls for early elections. That October, Noboa was elected in a runoff.
Noboa holds a degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, identifies politically as center-left, and arrived at the Palacio de Carondelet (the Government’s headquarters) with promises of job creation for the population and a tough stance against insecurity.
Currently, Noboa is looking to continue his crackdown on organized narcotic crime and Gonzalez is looking to become the country’s first woman president. She is the protégé of former socialist president Rafael Correa, who is living in exile after being sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption related to public contracts.
A Divided Political Landscape
There are a total of 16 candidates for president, but polls give neither Noboa nor Gonzalez enough votes to win the first round, making a runoff likely on April 13. A candidate must get more than 40 percent of valid votes and have a minimum 10 percent lead over the runner-up to win in only one round. The candidate elected to the presidency may serve up to two four-year terms.
The day before I arrived in Cuenca, there was a motorcade for Noboa, who has been in office since November 2023. The following day the motor procession was for Luisa Gonzalez with cars honking and displaying banners. This city of nearly 500,000 residents is the third largest in Ecuador after Guayaquil and Quito, the country’s capital.
Unlike the United States, it is mandatory for Ecuadorians ages 18 to 65 to vote in elections. (Voting is optional for 16- and 17-year-olds, individuals in the armed forces, the police, the disabled, and those older than 65 years.) A penalty of about $45 (10 percent of the minimum monthly wage) is assessed if one does not participate in elections. Ecuadorians residing abroad are exempt from the fines.
In Ecuador the national elections are held on a Sunday, in school buildings, and are community events. Two days before the election, all campaign signage is removed, to provide voters with a period of reflection free from political influence, known as electoral silence. Additionally, the sale of alcohol and beer is prohibited for the two days preceding the election (and 12 hours after) to maintain public order during the electoral process.
In Peekskill there are some 2,000 Ecuadorian citizens who are eligible to cast their votes. They can do so at the Neighborhood Center, located in the Peekskill Senior Citizen Center (4 Nelson Avenue), on Sunday, February 9, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The requirements to vote are: an Ecuadorian ID card, passport, or consular ID (even if expired), and an updated electoral address. The results of the early voting will be published after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Ariana Almeida-Martínez also contributed reporting for this article.
