Luisa González is the bet of the Revolución Ciudadana, the movement of former President Rafael Correa, on returning to power in Ecuador. Thanks to the best Correísmo moment in recent years, she was the favorite in the polls and the only woman among the eight presidential candidates. González grew up in Chone, a coastal city in the province of Manabí, the third most important in terms of voter weight. 1.25 million people vote there and Correísmo has the greatest political influence here. Although her character was not known until Correa introduced her as a candidate, González (45) has spent her entire career in the public sector.
The candidate, who took first place this Sunday for the second round of voting in October, is a lawyer by profession, but has also served as deputy minister for tourism management, vice-consul of Ecuador in Madrid, national secretary for public administration or secretary to the Office of the President. All of these positions were held during the government of Rafael Correa. “I was prime minister, I checked the implementation of the budget and the works,” she said several times during the election campaign to reinforce her experience in managing public institutions. “Of all the candidates, who knows how the public sector works?” ? I,” he replies.
Despite his management, the politician assured in an interview with EL PAÍS that Rafael Correa will practically be his main adviser since the former president has been living in Belgium since 2017 and cannot return to Ecuador because he would be arrested on a serious corruption conviction. against him. “Who can manage a country’s economy better than Rafael Correa, who has already proved it?” he wonders.
Luisa González arrives at a polling station in Canuto, Ecuador. SANTIAGO ARCOS (Portal)
His last position was as a member of the Citizens’ Revolution in Parliament, which was dissolved by President Guillermo Lasso on May 17. There he gained a more visible role through his constant defense of Rafael Correa and former Vice President Jorge Glas, both of whom were convicted. She also publicized her positions on issues that sparked serious debate on legislation such as rape abortion laws, where she appeared in the assembly’s plenary session with a blue handkerchief used by ultra-conservative movements calling themselves Pro-Life. Although González defines herself as left-wing, she is anti-abortion and has assured in this campaign that nothing will change her mind.
The candidate fought without a bulletproof vest despite the delicate security situation across the country. “The first to take care of me is God. Christ is the one who takes care of me at every step,” says the candidate for the government of a secular state. Its presidential couple is Andrés Arauz, an economist who was the party’s 2021 presidential candidate. Although he faced Guillermo Lasso in the second round, he lost to the current president. Both always appear under the figure of Correa, the ubiquitous figure of the election campaign, which is why their most repeated motto is “We’ve already done it.”
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