Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election in April between conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González. Crime is a major issue for voters.

An April presidential run-off in Ecuador will pit incumbent Daniel Noboa against leftist Luisa Gonzalez, in an unexpectedly tight contest featuring the same two candidates as a 2023 snap election. Several polls had predicted Noboa,

Ecuador’s center-right President Daniel Noboa is likely to fall short of securing an outright majority in the country’s general election, according to preliminary results Sunday, setting the stage for a run-off vote against his nearest leftist rival.

Ecuador’s presidential election is shaping up to be a repeat of the 2023 race when voters chose a conservative young millionaire over the leftist protégé of the country’s most influential president this century.

Daniel Noboa and Luisa González will face off in a second round on April 13.

People on the streets of Ecuador can rattle off the places they have encountered criminals: On the bus, at the park, on the sidewalk, in a cab, by the mall, next to a restaurant.