GW alum Daniel Noboa is set to be in the Ecuadorian presidential election runoff later this month.
Noboa, a businessman and political outsider who earned a master’s degree in professional studies from the University in 2022, rose suddenly in the polls last month and clinched the No. 2 spot in the Ecuadorian presidential election with 24 percent of the vote. In the upcoming runoff election, he faces Luisa González, the former national secretary of public administration and a member of the leftist establishment, who received roughly 33 percent of of the vote.
Since neither candidate achieved more than 50 percent of the vote, officials will hold a runoff Oct. 15 to determine the winner of the presidential election. If elected, Noboa hopes to increase international investment in Ecuador, cut taxes and create jobs, according to a New York Times report.
Noboa was elected to a seat in Ecuador’s Congress in 2021 and is a member of the National Democratic Action political movement. Noboa grew up and has citizenship in the United States but belongs to one of the richest families in Latin America widely known for their banana business. He first attracted attention in the election after his praised performance in a debate last week, according to the Times report.
