The candidates Daniel Noboa and Luisa González during the debate this Sunday.HANDOUT (via Portal)
The last debate before the presidential elections in Ecuador on October 15th remained inconsequential. Without any discussion, proposals were brought to the table that were impossible to implement in a year and a half of office, i.e. in the time in which whoever wins the elections in two weeks will have to govern. Daniel Noboa and Luisa González answered in two hours on four main topics: economics, security, social affairs and politics. It was a slow debate without clear ideas between the political heirs of Rafael Correa and Álvaro Noboa – the candidate’s father – who faced each other 17 years ago in a similar scenario that tipped the 2006 elections in favor of Correism.
This Sunday, it’s hard to imagine that the debate will decide the race. The rigid format proposed by the Electoral Council’s Debate Committee did not allow for discussion, nor did the candidates dare ask awkward questions. According to the polling firm Cedatos, time passed between a list of problems and possible solutions without depth or passion to capture this important group of undecided people, which exceeds 37%. ADN Alliance candidate Noboa is leading the vote with 44%, compared to Citizen Revolution candidate with 32%, according to the Opinion Profiles poll.
The room served as an opportunity for González to let go of his leader and mentor, Rafael Correa, for the first time. “I want to confirm that I, Luisa González, and not Rafael Correa, am the candidate for the presidency of the Republic,” he said of the person he had promised to appoint as his main adviser should he win the presidency. Noboa, also in search of his own personality, also did not want to refer to his father, who ran five times for Carondelet and is a politician known throughout the country, given the unknowns generated by his son. who surprisingly reached the second round. 20th of August.
Noboa triggered the first critical moment when he asked his opponent how long it would take to dedollarize Ecuador “according to the recommendations of the Puebla Group and its leader Rafael Correa.” This is one of the most sensitive economic issues for Ecuadorians. Noboa tried to attack the statements of the vice-presidential candidate of the Civil Revolution, Andrés Arauz, who spoke of the introduction of an “equalization”, an electronic currency for payments and transactions. González smiled and replied: “In the Puebla group there was talk of a global trade payment system. I will infuse resources into the economy, strengthen the national industry to strengthen dollarization.”
When it came time to talk about security, in a country with one of the highest crime rates in Latin America and the greatest concern of citizens, the candidates announced that they had already named their projects. The so-called Plan Fénix is that of Noboa, who insisted on his proposal to create barge prisons to isolate prisoners, and Plan Resurgir is that of González, who focuses his proposal on the militarization of prisons.
“The first thing is that a government that has allowed organized crime to enter the country leaves the country,” attacked González, who saw the opportunity to attack the businessman. “Most of the violence comes from organized crime, the mafias even appoint ministers who facilitate the export of drugs and respond to the country when the former Minister of Agriculture Bernardo Manzano was the manager of the Noboa group.”
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Manzano was mentioned in some audio recordings about a case of influence peddling in the current administration. Noboa replied: “Yes, he was the manager of Corporación Noboa for a long time, just as there were ministers like Pepe Serrano – who held several positions in the government of Rafael Correa – who were involved in drug trafficking.”
In a campaign marred by violence, candidates are unlikely to hold street events and mass rallies due to the need to surround themselves with tight security measures. In this last opportunity to speak directly to Ecuadorians, the candidates left with invitations to continue the debate on TikTok.
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