Banana tycoon’s son pulls off upset in Ecuador president race

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — An heir to a fortune built on Ecuador’s main crop of bananas has pulled off an upset by advancing to the country’s presidential runoff election in which he will face an ally of a convicted former president who remains an influential figure in the South American country.

Daniel Noboa and leftist Luisa González, both young and with little political experience, were the two highest vote-getters in Sunday’s special presidential election. They will have to convince Ecuadorian voters that they have what it takes to curb unprecedented rates of violence over the past three years.

None of the eight candidates in Sunday’s polling received enough support to be declared winner. The election took place under the watch of tens of thousands of police officers and soldiers deployed across the country, partly in response to the assassination of one of the presidential candidates earlier this month.

With about 94 percent of votes counted as of Monday, results from the National Electoral Council had González in the lead, with about 33 percent of support. She had been the frontrunner heading into the contest, but the Election Day’s surprise came from Noboa, who received about 24 percent votes even though he never placed above fifth place in polls.

To win outright, a candidate needed 50 percent of the vote, or to have at least 40 percent with a 10-point lead over the closest opponent.

Noboa’s political career began in 2021, when he earned a seat in the National Assembly and chaired its Economic Development Commission. Noboa, 35, opened an event organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father’s Noboa Corporation, where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics and commercial areas.

The U.S.-educated Noboa arrived by helicopter to vote Sunday and wore a bulletproof vest while campaigning and even while debating other candidates on television. His father, Álvaro Noboa, is the richest man in Ecuador thanks to growing and shipping bananas and other ventures. The elder Noboa unsuccessfully ran for president five times.

Surrounded by supporters, the younger Noboa told reporters after polls closed Sunday that he has not achieved his goal because he has not yet won the presidency. “Tomorrow, we will have to start working again campaigning. There’s a runoff.”