“Today we begin the new Ecuador.” With this statement, the country’s young elected president, Daniel Noboa, arrived at Parliament to take office, this Thursday (23), and begin his term, replacing Guillermo Lasso, who dissolved the National Assembly in May and brought forward the Executive and Legislative elections, with the “death cross”, in an attempt to avoid the continuation of his impeachment process.
The 35-year-old businessman was sworn in in Quito this afternoon as the new head of state, in an investiture ceremony held at the National Assembly, attended by authorities from different Latin American countries, including the vice-president of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin.
“We are ready for this new challenge, to work for the well-being of the country and restore peace to Ecuadorian families”, said the elected official at a moment during the ceremony.
Noboa took the oath of inauguration in front of 1,200 guests. With this, he will complete Guillermo Lasso’s term until 2025, when new elections take place.
The president of Congress, Henry Kronfle, was responsible for proclaiming the inauguration and placing the presidential sash on the new president, who is the youngest to be elected in Ecuador.
The then president, Guillermo Lasso, who arrived almost an hour late for the ceremony, left Parliament shortly after the transfer of powers, alongside his wife.
In his first speech after being sworn in, the businessman emphasized that the country’s most urgent problems to solve are violence and poverty. With this, he stated that his focus will be on giving young people opportunities to combat unemployment and putting into practice his proposals for the security of Ecuador, which is experiencing a time of extreme violence, caused by drug trafficking. “The task is arduous and difficult and the days are few. Let’s get to work and get to work. Long live Ecuador”, said Noboa.
In October, the politician, who ran for the National Democratic Action (ADN) alliance, won the presidential elections against Luisa Gonzalez, defeating Correísmo with an advantage of 4.58 percentage points.
Noboa, businessman and former deputy, heir to one of the richest families in Ecuador, reaches the presidential chair in which his father, banana tycoon Álvaro Noboa, who ran for president five times during his political career, was unable to sit .
He emerged victorious at the polls with a proposal focused on youth and the creation of jobs and opportunities, but also on tackling the security crisis in Ecuador linked to organized crime.
The country is experiencing its worst period of violence, with an increase from 5.8 to 25.62 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the last five years until the end of 2022, which represents the highest rate since records began. This is due to the increase in the activity of mafias mainly dedicated to drug trafficking, as Ecuador has become a center for global cocaine trafficking.
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